Luxury hotel stays for Channel migrants set to be scrapped ahead of election

LUXURY four and five star hotels for Channel migrants are for the chop at last — as ministers prepare for next year’s election.

The Home Office will today announce a phasing-out of higher-end accommodation after a drop in crossings this year — with many freed up from ­marginal swing seats.

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The Government is currently spending more than £8million a day housing the 26,116 migrants who have made the journey this year.

But that is significantly fewer than the 37,575 that had crossed by this point last year.

Men, women and children were brought ashore yesterday in the first migrant crossings in a week.

At least four boats are understood to have been intercepted.

It had been feared as many as 67,000 would come over in 2023, but Border Force now estimates that to be around 30,000 for the year.

It means a number of contracts with hotel groups will be allowed to expire and will not be renewed — with larger ex-military sites soon ready to house asylum seekers.

Efforts to clear the asylum backlog also mean fewer rooms have been needed than expected.

The Sun has learnt a number of the hotels are in key seats the Tories need to hold at next year’s election.

MPs have borne the brunt of anger from locals who have seen their hotels in cities and towns across the country block-booked for migrants for months.

Five-star hotels are among them.

Three hotels believed to be returning to public use are the four-star Novotel Hotel in Ipswich, Suffolk — which is one of the most marginal seats in Britain with a Tory majority of 5.579.

Local MP Tom Hunt said: “We’ve taken back control of the Novotel for the good of community and this news will be warmly received by the people of Ipswich.”

The town has swung from Tory to Labour and back to Tory in the three elections since 2015.

The three-star Westone Manor Hotel in Northampton, is also set stop housing migrants.

The Conservative majority in the town was 5,507.

And the three-star Bay Majestic Hotel in ultra-marginal Eastbourne, East Sussex, will also say farewell to migrants.

The Tories have a wafer- thin 4,331 majority in the town.

Borders minister Robert Jenrick is set to announce the first 50 that will close to migrants in January in a statement to MPs today.

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