Sir Keir Starmer is being torn apart after it emerged he is set to break yet another manifesto pledge, this time on housing migrants in hotels.

Labour’s manifesto pledged to “end asylum hotels, saving the taxpayer billions of pounds”.

While they did not set a timeframe, Home Office officials were expecting all hotel use for migrants applying for asylum to end within a year of Sir Keir coming to power.

However, this morning it emerged that applicants will now continue to be housed in hotels for up to three years due to the size of the backlog and swathes of migrants continuing to float over the Channel.

The overall backlog stands at about 225,000, an increase of 11,000 since Labour came to power.

What do you think is the right solution to this issue? Should hotel use for migrants be ended? Have your say in our comments section

The news that hotels will now continue to be used provoked fury from opposition politicians.

Tory leadership frontrunner Robert Jenrick said: “Starmer pledged to ‘end asylum hotels’.

“But he scrapped rather than strengthened the Rwanda plan. And in the 88 days he’s been PM, 11,000 illegal migrants have come.

“It’s no surprise then that, under Starmer, we’ll be spending billions on these hotels for years to come.”

Rival James Cleverly, former home secretary, warned that Labour is planning to re-open asylum hotels “because they scrapped Rwanda, have no plan, and over 11,000 illegal migrants have crossed the channel since Labour took office”.

Meanwhile, Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice shared a graphic comparing Sir Keir’s £1.4billion in cuts to winter fuel payments while spending £8.5billion on unemployed immigrants.

He added: “Only Reform UK is on the side of pensioners and the lowest paid.”

Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty fumed that Labour was “not smashing the gangs”, adding: “They’re barely clearing the backlog.

“Over 10,000 more people have arrived in the last three months.”

During the election campaign, the Prime Minister said: “If we were to carry on with this government, we would have the best part of 100,000 asylum seekers in this country, none of whom are being processed.

“That means none of them can be returned, because until you’re processed, you can’t be returned, even if you’ve got no right to be here, being housed in hotels at the taxpayer’s expense.

“I don’t think that’s right and yes we want to turn that around.”

Labour is now trying to pass the buck onto the Conservatives, claiming things are worse first believed before entering Government.

A Labour source told The Times: “We have inherited a completely failed immigration system from the Tories. Including them spending over £700million on Rwanda, and gimmicks that didn’t work.”