Andy Burnham has been warned that houses in multiple occupations (HMOs) will bear the brunt of his plan to shift more asylum seekers into middle-class areas.
The Prime Minister has said he wants to end the current system which sees the “poorest communities” housing more than their fair share of new migrant arrivals.
“Red Wall” Labour MPs in the North of England are delighted by the new Prime Minister’s push for a more even distribution – arguing that they have been carrying too much of the “burden”.
However, Burnham has been told that local authorities in middle-class areas in the South of England will try to use planning controls to thwart use of HMOs for asylum housing.
Economy grows by 0.4% – what you need to know
The UK economy grew by 0.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, new data has shown.
What is driving the growth
The growth comes after a first quarter in which the economy expanded by 0.6 per cent and has been boosted by the summer sun and sports events, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Computer programming, advertising and the pharmaceutical industry were areas of strength, the ONS said, but this was offset by falls in power generation and sewerage.
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Housing nightmares
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Growth likely to slow
The economy is now 1.2% bigger than a year ago, but economists warn growth is likely to slow in the second half of the year.
Speaking to the , Fergus Jimenez-England, associate economist at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said: “Both inflation and unemployment are set to rise in the coming months while business sentiment remains fragile and could dampen further with ongoing energy price volatility.”
I’m a pension expert with a £300,000 pot – here are my golden rules for saving
Kirsty Ross has been working in the pensions industry for 15 years but says experts have the same fears and anxieties as everyone else.
How ‘black hole stars’ could explain mystery of the early universe
Strange red spots in images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may be a newly discovered type of object called a “black hole star” that is larger than our entire solar system.
Supermassive blackholes
Astronomers have said the objects may help to explain how supermassive blackholes formed so early in the history of the universe.
They lie at the hearts of galaxies and play a key role in determining their growth and evolution.
Solving a puzzle for cosmologists
Supermassive blackholes appear to have formed very soon after the birth of the universe, puzzling cosmologists over how they had time to grow so much during the universe’s infancy.
However, the red dot found by the JWST, which is believed to have formed 660 million years after the Big Bang, may be an infant black hole surrounded by a “cloak of gas” that feeds it as it grows, according to analysis published in the journal .
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The organ in your chest that could be key to living longer
The thymus was once thought to be nearly useless in adults – now scientists think it could be vital for our health.
Nurses ‘collapsing on shift’ due to heatwave – what we know
Nurses are collapsing during shifts amid “inhumane and impossible” conditions caused by extreme heat, their union has warned.
Union warns of unsafe conditions
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has become the latest union to warn of unsafe working conditions for its members as the number of days over 30°C is already at a new record of 35 this summer.
The union has said some staff have collapsed, while others were left dizzy, nauseous or at risk of fainting while dripping with sweat “from head to toe”.
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What is being done about it?
The NHS has been ordered by health secretary Yvette Cooper to prepare for the effects of heatwaves each year in the same way that it prepares for winter.
Earlier this year, the Climate Change Committee of MPs said that the government should ensure cooling measures are installed in all hospitals and care homes by 2035.
Nurses are being ‘failed’
When nursing staff are collapsing, feeling dizzy, sick or even being admitted to the very hospitals they work in because their workplaces cannot handle the heat, it shows just how badly they are being failed.
RCN chief executive and general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger
Stunning solar eclipse dazzles Europe – in pictures
From Aberdeen to Penzance, from Aberystwyth to Hull, skywatchers were out in force yesterday to see the best solar eclipse in a generation.
In pictures
The spectacle continues
A once-in-a-lifetime experience for many
The event sparked huge interest for people across the UK as the Moon covered more than 90 per cent of the Sun.
It was the first time for many, with the last full eclipse occurring in August 1999. However, eclipse enthusiasts will have to wait until 23 September 2090 for the next one.
A scramble for eclipse glasses
Looking directly at the eclipse with the naked eye, or even sunglasses, can cause permanent damage, so a scramble for eclipse glasses ensued around the country.
Huge queues formed at shops which still had stock left, while many had already sold out and were forced to turn away customers.
Temperatures to hit 38°C today as amber warning expanded
Sweltering temperatures of up to 38°C are set to hit the UK today.
The Met Office has today issued an updated amber extreme heat warning for areas across the UK lasting from 9:00 to 23:00.
The relentless heat means that this summer is likely to be the hottest on record.
A dangerous period of heat
The sweltering temperatures forecast today mark the peak of the UK’s latest heatwave.
Tropical nights, where temperatures fail to drop below 20°C, are also expected as humid air spreads into western areas, which can place additional stress on the body.
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An extraordinarily dry period
The lack of rain has piled pressure on farming, freight shipping and energy production, after the UK saw its driest July in 190 years.
Up to 27 million people find themselves under water-use restrictions and 1,017 wildfires have devastated vegetation across England and Wales so far this year, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Temperature records likely to be beaten
More long-standing temperature records are likely to be broken over the coming days.
- Wednesday became the first day in August to reach 35°C or more, making it the 4th consecutive month to reach this temperature.
- If temperatures reach 36°C or higher, 2026 will become the first year to record four separate days at or above that threshold.
- If temperatures reach 38°C today, there is a chance that the record for the hottest August day, which currently stands at 38.5°C, could be broken.
- Provided August temperatures remain average or above for the month, this summer will replace 2025 as the warmest on record.
The heatwave in pictures
Firefighters call for water bomb aircraft to tackle wildfires
Firefighters have called for “wildfire-fighting aircraft” to help combat spate of blazes as Britain braces for another heatwave, with temperatures set to rise above 35°C, possibly reaching 38°C.
At the moment the Home Office caps the rent it will pay to landlords of HMOs, meaning that asylum seekers are sent to areas where the rent is cheaper – poorer neighbourhoods.
The Home Office is considering raising the cap, which would enable asylum seekers to be housed in HMOs in more expensive areas.
But the PM has been accused of “hypocrisy” by his opponents for promising to devolve more powers to councils while trying to “impose” asylum seekers on them.
Reform and Conservative politicians made clear they want council chiefs to block new HMOs in their areas using Article 4 orders.
An Article 4 order requires landlords to seek planning permission to convert their properties into HMOs, giving councils the right to refuse consent.
Labour councils in middle-class areas could also try to stop the further spread of HMOs with these planning powers, the Prime Minister has been warned.
Why HMOs will be the focus of changes
Burnham said on Tuesday that he wanted to ease the asylum pressure on the poorest neighbourhoods, arguing that all parts of the UK had to “play their part”.
But use of HMOs by the Home Office’s private contract companies such as Serco is far more widespread and increasingly controversial.
There were just over 97,000 asylum seekers getting support at the end of March, according to Home Office statistics. While 21,000 were in hotels, just over 72,000 were in non-hotel accommodation – most of which are understood to be in HMO properties.
The widespread use of HMOs mean that these properties will be the “focus” of any attempt by Burnham to “change the distribution” across the UK, said Dr Nuni Jorgensen, researcher at the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory.
Why South of England is set for biggest change
The North East and the North West of England still have the “widest coverage” in the UK when it comes to asylum accommodation, according to Migration Observatory analysis.
The North West hosts the largest share of supported asylum seekers – 20 per cent of all in the UK, official figures show.
There are still 41 councils in the UK which do not house asylum seekers – including 17 who provide no support at all to asylum seekers.
They are mainly in the South of England – including the Cotswolds, New Forest in Hampshire, Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire, the Malvern Hills and Derbyshire Dales.
Burnham bringing ‘fairness’, say Red Wall Labour MPs
Red Wall MPs in the North are pleased at Burnham’s intention to change dispersal – arguing that the private contractors have “dumped” people in areas with the cheapest HMO housing.
Luke Akehurst, Labour MP for North Durham, told The i Paper: “I agree that areas that are more prosperous should carry more of the burden rather than the focus being on areas with cheap housing.”
Councils should get more powers to “block excessive proliferation of all types of HMOs”, added Akehurst.
Jonathan Brash, Labour MP for Hartlepool, told The i Paper: “I’m pleased Andy Burnham is acting to bring fairness to the system. I’ve long called for a fairer distribution.”
Brash also said he supported more “legal power” for councils “to say no” to more asylum accommodation in their area.
‘Bloody-minded’ Reform will try to block HMOs
Nigel Farage has made clear he wants “bloody-minded” Reform councils to block HMO planning applications to help limit asylum seeker numbers in areas held by his party.
George Madgwick, Reform group leader at Hampshire County Council, said it was “wildly inappropriate for Burnham to suggest they [asylum seekers] should be in middle-class areas”.
The Article 4 power available to councils “isn’t everything”, said Madgwick – but it had been “effective in blocking new HMOs in certain areas” of Portsmouth, where he is a councillor.
Reform councils, “including any in middle-class areas”, will try to use Article 4 powers to block new asylum HMOs, he added.
Wendy Whittaker-Large – a Reform councillor for Alsager Town Council in Cheshire – also warned Burnham his plans could run into trouble.
She said Article 4 orders to crack down on new HMOs had already “spread like wildfire” in some parts of the country.
She warned that Labour-held councils, as well as Tory and Reform councils, in middle-class areas in the South of England could use them to block new HMOs for asylum accommodation. “So Burnham will struggle to overcome local objections,” she said.
Whittaker-Large, who is herself a HMO landlord who rents them out to professionals, has suggested a brand-new planning class specifically for asylum accommodation.
She said it could be used to allow councils to block an asylum HMO in their area without affecting those properties needed for students and professionals.
Will Burnham expand councils’ powers?
However, use of Article 4 orders can only block new HMOs being set up. Existing HMO property owners are still free to strike deals to house asylum seekers.
Joe Robertson, the Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, which houses no asylum seekers, said his constituency was “not a suitable location” for the accommodation. Councils “should have the power to say no” to use of HMOs, added Robertson.
Lewis Cocking, Tory MP for Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, said he did not think it was “fair” to impose asylum housing on any area without their consent.
The government has cut the number of asylum seekers in hotels by 35 per cent in the past year and reduced costs by £1bn, said a spokesperson.
The spokesperson added: “We are already working to fairly house asylum seekers across the entire country, working closely with local authorities and listening to local concerns to help reduce the impact on communities.”