Boy, 15, arrested after stabbing ‘near asylum seeker hotel’

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A 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a man was stabbed outside of a hotel used by the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers.

According to the Guardian, the victim - believed to be an asylum seeker - was being accommodated at the hotel in west London and was found bleeding near the building after the incident, which happened on Saturday night.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Officers were called to the west London area at 11.36pm on Saturday, 22 October to reports of a stabbing.

“Officers attended along with paramedics from London Ambulance Service (LAS). A man was found with stab wounds.

“He was taken to hospital. His condition has been assessed as non-life threatening.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The welfare of those in our care is of the utmost priority and we treat any incidents incredibly seriously. It is right that we now give the police the time and space to carry out their investigation.”

Home Office sources told the Guardian: “We expect high standards from all of our providers, and any asylum seekers who have problems with their accommodation can get in touch with Migrant Help 24/7, every day of the year.”

It comes amid reports that the Home Office admitted housing unaccompanied child asylum seekers in hotels is illegal but has no concrete plans to end the practice, a watchdog has revealed.

Official documents show that the government identified over a year ago that the policy amounted to the creation of unregulated children’s homes, which ministers banned in February 2021.

An entry on an internal “risk register” from August 2021 said: “Senior civil service confirmed we are running children’s homes and committing a criminal offence but relying on the defence of necessity.”

But a report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) found that hotels were still being used for children arriving alone on Channel boats, concluding: “Inspectors found limited evidence of progress on a concrete exit strategy from the use of hotels.”