Asylum seekers could be housed in empty homes, disused tower blocks and former student digs bought by local councils amid a growing backlash at the use of hotels.
The Government is proposing pilot schemes where it could pay local authorities to buy or renovate property, which they would lease back to the Home Office to house asylum seekers.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out a target to end the use of hotels by 2029, although it is unclear how this can be achieved when Channel crossings are at record highs.
There are currently 700,000 empty homes across England, including 93,600 in London and 35,000 in Birmingham, Liverpool and Leeds - according to official figures.
Sir Keir Starmer outlined the Government's approach this week, telling a committee of MPs: 'A central focus of what we are doing is what can be built, arranged or taken by councils and repurposed. I am impatient for this change to be driven through.
