UK looks at industrial sites, digital ID cards in overhaul of asylum system

FILE PHOTO: Asylum seekers react as they look out the window at the Cresta Court hotel, as people take part in an anti-immigration demonstration outside the hotel, in Altrincham, Britain, August 8, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold a meeting on Tuesday on how to tackle illegal immigration, including moving asylum seekers out of hotels to accommodation on industrial sites and introducing digital ID cards.

Immigration is now the dominant political issue in Britain, eclipsing concerns over the economy, as the country faces a record number of both asylum claims and arrivals by migrants in small boats from Europe, including more than 28,000 this year.