WATCH: Labour MP hails closure of Blackpool asylum hotel on iconic site

Georgia Pearce
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 14:01:22 +0000

The iconic Metropole in Blackpool will become the 12th asylum hotel to be closed by the government, it can be revealed.

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb told GB News: “After a two-year campaign to become the MP, I promised residents I'd close the asylum hotel, and today I can announce that is happening.

“We've been given notice that this will close within three months. The Home Office is already engaging now with Britannia and with Serco to re-house these people elsewhere in the country into more suitable accommodation, other hotels and military bases.

“But I can say now that Blackpool will no longer have an asylum hotel come July.

“As you can see, this is the only hotel actually on the seafront here in Blackpool. It's an iconic hotel, as you've said.

“For me, it's got personal significance. My mum moved here in the 80s to become a Redcoat. That's why she came to Blackpool. That's how she met my dad, and that's why I'm here today.

“We know it's been a staple of our tourism offer. It has declined over the years, and when it turned into an asylum hotel in 2021, the previous government told us he'd only be here for three months. But now we're here in 2026 and we finally closed it.

“So what we have to make sure now is that those individuals are moved out as quickly as possible, and that hotel is restored to its former glory.

“This place is not adequate for asylum seekers, it never has been. The hotel has been part of a scandal since it's been an asylum hotel. For various reasons, it's been inadequate.

“This hotel has mainly been housing women and children. Half the people in there are children, and the conditions in there haven't been great for those kids.

“Whatever you think of asylum policy, these are kids and predominantly in there are families from Syria, Afghanistan, fleeing war, 12 countries.

“We've got to improve our asylum system. We know we're working on that at pace. We've closed down half the hotels of where it was at its peak. We're reducing the amount coming across on small boats.

“We're making the hard work go as far as we can, but we've got to make sure that we're doing this in the right way.

“We inherited a crisis. Everybody knew what we inherited. It will take time, we've been doing the grown-up hard work, reducing the backlog, making sure that applications now outpace claims, we're reducing the numbers that are remaining, and we've already deported 60,000 people.

“We're doing the hard work. It will take a little bit of time, but now we can show that we are closing asylum hotels, like we promised, and like I promised the residents of Blackpool when I was a when I was elected.

“I'm now going to be working night and day to hold Britannia, the owners, to account, to restore this back to its former glory.

“Blackpool is the jewel of the tourism crown of the UK. We need to make sure that this is fully operational as a decent, well-managed hotel for tourists come at the end of this season.”

FULL STORY HERE.