The British Labour government is under heavy fire after launching a highly controversial plan to offer five-year contracts to private landlords, using taxpayer money to house illegal migrants in private residences. The move comes as illegal crossings over the English Channel reach record highs, placing extraordinary pressure on Britain’s strained asylum and housing systems.
According to an exclusive report by The Telegraph, Serco — a private contractor working with the Home Office — has begun contacting landlords, property investors, and real estate agents across the East of England, the Midlands, and the North West. The offer? Guaranteed rent payments “on time every month,” full funding for repairs and maintenance, utility costs, and council tax bills, all at taxpayer expense.
While housing migrants in homes is significantly cheaper than hotel accommodations — £14 per day compared to about £145 per day — many warn that the scheme will only worsen Britain’s already dire housing crisis. A housing executive speaking to The Telegraph said bluntly, “It seems an unfair way to deal with the people in Britain who are struggling by taking away accommodation that they could benefit from.”
Currently, the UK government is housing around 65,700 migrants — the highest number in over a decade. Approximately 38,000 of them are living in hotels at a staggering cost of £5.5 million to taxpayers every single day. That figure is projected to rise further as Channel crossings continue unabated.
Despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s campaign pledges to crack down on illegal immigration and to end hotel stays for migrants, the reality on the ground tells a very different story. Nearly 10,000 migrants have already crossed illegally into Britain since January — a shocking 45% increase compared to the same period last year. It marks the largest year-to-date total since the migrant crisis began.
The timing of this housing initiative could hardly be worse for Labour, with local council elections just days away. Voter anger over mass immigration, both legal and illegal, has already fueled a dramatic rise in support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party. A recent poll by Find Out Now puts Reform at 28%, surging ahead of both Labour and the Conservatives, who trail behind at just 20% each.
Public sentiment about immigration has turned sharply negative. A record 47% of Britons now believe immigration has “been bad for Britain,” compared to just 19% who think it has been “mostly good,” according to YouGov polling.
Deputy Reform Leader Richard Tice wasted no time slamming the Labour government’s new scheme. In a furious post on X, he wrote, “British people [are] sick [and] tired of British homes [and] hotels given free to illegals, at huge taxpayer expense, yet Starmer [is] giving up on the boats.”
Tice warned that if illegal migration continues at its current pace, Britain could see over 150,000 additional migrants arrive over the next four years — an unsustainable burden. He vowed that Reform would “win the next general election and remove these folk.”
Meanwhile, Labour officials insist that offering private homes will save taxpayer money compared to hotel stays. But critics argue that subsidizing housing for migrants while British citizens struggle to find affordable housing is tone-deaf at best — and electoral suicide at worst.
The Labour Party’s failures on immigration — combined with the Conservative Party’s previous broken promises — are fueling an anti-establishment backlash that could dramatically reshape British politics.
With the polls opening soon, voters will have their first chance to voice their anger at the ballot box. And based on the current trajectory, Labour could be facing a bloodbath.
The backlash is only growing — and if early polling trends hold, it may just be the beginning of a political earthquake in Britain.
