An inflatable dinghy carrying around 65 migrants crosses the English Channel on March 06, 2024 in the English Channel.

The government tried to execute a hat trick earlier this week.

Monday began on a particularly sticky note, as a cross-bench of MPs unveiled a brutal report into the Home Office’s management of the asylum system.

The Home Affairs Committee accused the department of squandering billions of taxpayers’ pounds on mismanagement of asylum accommodation, and claimed flawed contracts and incompetent delivery were to blame for the chaotic system the UK is now faced with.

The MPs said they expected accommodation costs had tripled to more than £15 billion since hotels were first used to house asylum seekers.

Prime minister Keir Starmer quickly said he was “frustrated and angry” by the “mess” left by the Tory government (even though his government were, of course, elected 16 months ago).

The following day, he announced they were moving 900 asylum seekers from hotels into disused military barracks as part of Labour’s drive to stop using asylum hotels altogether by 2029.

Even though this was a U-turn on Labour’s previous promises to focus on “smaller sites” and the private rental market, it was at least a response to their critics like Reform UK and the Conservatives who have long called for a stronger migrant crackdown.

With immigration and asylum now a prominent concern for Brits according to polls, it’s not too surprising Labour wanted to send out a sharp response.

Starmer told the BBC he was........

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