Madeley Court Hotel is housing asylum seekers. (Image: Google)
Reform UK has claimed that asylum seekers are living better than lots of Britons in a hotel after it was revealed that a beautiful 16th-century venue is housing .
A number of right-wing commentators online have highlighted the use of Madeley Court Hotel in , Shropshire, whose rooms reportedly cost around £150 per night.
has revealed that the historic venue, which says its guests can enjoy “peaceful and historical surroundings”, and that it is “renowned for its superb service and cuisine”, has been used to accommodate asylum seekers since 2021.
Now, ‘s has called the situation “shocking” at a time when many Britons are “suffering”.
Madeley Court was once a grange of Wenlock Priory and had a deer park in the 13th century.
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The hotel is located in Telford, Shropshire. (Image: Google)
Parks and Gardens says the park survived until at least the early 17th century. But the current house dates from the mid-1500s.
The hotel says that it “offers both the facilities of a modern hotel and the ambience of a beautiful Manor House in countryside surroundings”.
Its website adds: “The conservatory area with resplendent stylish furnishings and a lakeside view makes for the perfect place to relax after a hectic day.
“Nestled within the ground of the hotel is Madeley Court’s unique venue for all special occasions, The Mill.”
A spokesman for Reform UK told : “At a time when pensioners are freezing, businesses are suffering, and farmers’ futures hang in the balance, it is shocking that illegals are living better than lots of British people.
“The started this scandal and now Labour show no urgency to fix it, it is a wilful betrayal of the British people and it won’t be forgiven.
Sir Keir Starmer faces a huge backlog of asylum applications. (Image: Getty)
“Only Reform UK are serious about clamping down on illegals in hotels and stopping the boats once and for all.”
A Home Office spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “This government inherited an asylum system under unprecedented strain, with thousands stuck in a backlog without their claims processed.
“We remain absolutely committed to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers and continue to identify a range of accommodation options to minimise their use.”
It is government policy that it does not comment on individual accommodation sites.
Officials have restarted asylum processing which will reportedly save an estimated £7 billion for the taxpayer over the next 10 years. The Government is also said to deliver an uplift in returns to remove people with no right to be in the UK.
Sir confirmed before the General Election earlier this year that Labour would resume processing asylum applications for people who have previously arrived in the UK illegally.
Before his party was elected, the Prime Minister also said he would be open to the idea of Britain processing claims offshore.
Yesterday, the UK paused asylum decisions on Syrian claims after the country’s President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown.
Home Office and Ministry of Defence data suggest that, as of December 1, 33,684 people had crossed the English Channel in small boats in 2024.
Full Fact says the UK’s asylum backlog has increased substantially since the 2019 General Election, reaching its highest level on record in June 2023.
Government figures suggested that more than 175,000 people were waiting for a decision. This was up 44% when compared to 2022.