Home Office urged to provide quarterly reports on 40 young people still missing from asylum hotels

Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights demands regular updates as dozens who vanished as children remain unaccounted for.

By Steve Rowland · AI-assisted production, human-approved (how we work)
Published 27 August 2026 at 01:22 · Updated 27 August 2026 at 01:25

Developing · updated 1 hour ago

We are still following this story and this page updates as more is confirmed.

In brief

What happened

A report from parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights revealed that 40 people who disappeared as children from UK asylum seeker hotels remain unaccounted for as of June. While the majority have since turned 18, two of the missing individuals are still children, following an issue that first gained attention when over 400 unaccompanied minors vanished from hotel sites. The High Court had later ruled in 2023 that the routine housing of lone child asylum seekers in hotels was unlawful.

Why it matters

Concerns are heightened because some of the young people who were previously traced had been found in exploitative situations and may have been trafficked. England's Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza termed the disappearances an unacceptable failure, reiterating that all arriving children have the right to safe shelter and asylum. The committee emphasized that serious questions remain regarding the conditions and safety of those who are still missing.

What's next

Parliamentarians are demanding regular progress reports from the Home Office every three months detailing efforts to trace the 40 missing individuals and investigate their disappearances. Police forces are leading the missing person investigations with support from both central and local government after hotel housing for unaccompanied children closed in January 2024. Additionally, the government is continuing to phase out asylum hotels entirely by shifting accommodation to sites like former military barracks.

Ministers must provide quarterly progress reports on efforts to trace 40 young people who disappeared as children from asylum seeker hotels, a parliamentary committee has demanded.

A report published by Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) confirmed that, as of June this year, 40 people who went missing during childhood have still not been found. While the majority have since turned 18, two of the missing individuals remain children, as reported by The Independent.

The committee called on the Home Office to make clear what specific steps are being taken to find them, investigate why they went missing, and ensure unaccompanied child asylum seekers do not disappear in future. Parliamentarians asked to receive formal updates on tracing efforts every three months.

The issue first came to light in 2023, when it emerged that more than 400 unaccompanied children—some as young as 12—had gone missing from Home Office hotel accommodation. Later that year, the High Court ruled the routine practice of housing lone child asylum seekers in hotels unlawful.

At the time, the Conservative government defended the measure, arguing an "unsustainable rise in illegal Channel crossings" left ministers no choice while local authority placements were arranged.

While the JCHR welcomed the fact that the vast majority of the missing youngsters were eventually traced, it expressed serious concern over those still missing. In a letter sent to the committee last year, Dame Angela Eagle, then border security and asylum minister, noted that several traced individuals were found in exploitative situations and may have been trafficked.

A director of children’s social care at the Department for Education told the inquiry that guidance has been issued to police forces to ensure they continue searching and keep records updated.

England's Children's Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, supported the committee's findings, describing the disappearances as an "unacceptable failure" and reiterating that every arriving child has the right to safe shelter and a fair asylum process.

A Government spokesperson said the safety and wellbeing of children is paramount and that missing person investigations are led by local police with central support. The Home Office ceased using hotels for unaccompanied children in January 2024.

Ministers are also working to end all asylum hotel use before the next general election, shifting adult accommodation to sites such as former military bases and reducing active hotel sites below 160.

I will continue to track the Home Office's responses to the committee's quarterly reporting demand and provide updates as they emerge.