Reform UK’s Rupert Lowe has voiced his frustration after Home Office figures suggest almost 30,000 asylum seekers were being put up in hotels at the expense of the British taxpayer.

The MP for Great Yarmouth has said there should be no place in the UK for anyone here illegally, asking: “What are they doing here?” As of the end of June, 29,585 asylum seekers were being housed in hotels across the UK.

The figure marked a decrease from 34,530 at the end of March and from 50,546 12 months ago – but Mr Lowe was still unimpressed.

Posting on X, he said: “The taxpayer is funding the hotel accommodation of 30,000 illegal migrants.

“We don’t know who they are, where they have come from, or what their real motives actually are.” Mr Lowe continued: “I don’t want these people in our country, do you? “Nobody here illegally should be allowed to stay.

The latest data, released yesterday, shows that more than a third (38 percent, or 11,226) of asylum seekers in hotels were in London, with 11 percent (3,122) in the North West.

Hotels in the South East and West Midlands each accommodated 10 percent of asylum seekers, with 3,002 and 2,858 respectively.

Wales had the lowest number, with 53 asylum seekers in hotels (0.2 percent) , while Scotland housed 1,357 (five percent) and Northern Ireland 301 (one percent).

Iranian nationals made up the largest group of asylum seekers in hotels at the end of June, accounting for 14 percent (4,036) of the total.

This was followed by Afghans (3,611 or 12 percent), Iraqis (2,518 or nine percent), Eritreans (1,851 or six percent), and Syrians (1,680 or six percent).

As things stand, those seeking asylum in the UK are usually banned from working while their claims are being processed.

Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive of Refugee Action, a member of the Lift The Ban coalition, told the Standard: “The new Government could transform lives, boost community cohesion, and significantly benefit local economies by allowing asylum seekers to work.

“People stuck in the system possess valuable skills, education, and experience that they are eager to use but are instead forced into dependency by this counterproductive policy.

“This change has support from businesses, MPs across the political spectrum, and over four in five members of the public. Lifting the work ban is simply common sense.”

Violence erupted outside several hotels used to accommodate asylum seekers over the summer after riots erupted across the UK following the fatal stabbings of three children in Southport.