Ipswich Labour candidate, Jack Abbott, has spoken out following the Government's immigration announcement

Yesterday, news broke that Novotel, which has been used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers since October, would be among the first 50 to have their contracts ended.

The announcements were welcomed by Ipswich MP, Tom Hunt, who said he was pleased the hotel would 'be put back to its proper use.

Mr Abbott, however, said the move only comes due to the Conservative Party having 'broken our asylum system' and 'failed to take responsibility'.

Alongside Novotel, around 400 hotels across the country have been used to house asylum seekers, at a cost of £8m in taxpayer money, a bill totalling £2.3bn between April 2022 and March 2023.

He added: "Returning the Novotel to public use will be welcome news to many, but it doesn't change the fact that Tom Hunt and the Conservatives have consistently broken their promises and still do not have a plan to clear the backlog.

"Their obsession with headline-grabbing gimmicks, which then fail to deliver, has given criminal gangs a licence to operate, undermining border security and putting lives at risk."

Measures proposed by the Labour Party to deal with illegal immigration include increasing the number of caseworkers dealing with the backlog, 'relentlessly targeting' smuggling gangs and backing a new cross-border police unit.

As a general election seems to loom closer, the issue of illegal immigration is likely to stick out as one of the biggest talking points.

Mr Abbott added: "After years of chaos under the Conservatives, Labour will restore security, competency and fairness to our asylum system."

Mr Hunt was approached for comment.