Ministers believe asylum hotels can be emptied before the end of the current Parliament, Yvette Cooper has said. Sir Keir Starmer said on Monday that he wanted to move all asylum seekers out of hotel accommodation before his Government’s deadline of the end of the Parliament, which could last until 2029.

Asked when ministers would meet the goal, Home Secretary Ms Cooper told Times Radio: “Our manifesto commitment was to do so over the course of the Parliament, but we do want that to be earlier, and we’ve been working for some time.

“We do believe it can be done earlier.

“It’s dependent on a whole series of factors, so we’re not setting out precise timetables. What we are doing is setting out the steps that we are taking.”

These steps include an overhaul of the appeals system, Ms Cooper said, as well as other measures she announced in the Commons on Monday.

Meanwhile, ministers will seek to crack down on foreign students claiming asylum once their visas run out, reports have suggested.

The Home Office is launching a new campaign where, for the first time, it will contact international students and their families, warning them they must leave if they have no right to remain.

The text and email campaign is the latest step the Government is taking to grasp migration after Home Secretary Yvette Cooper revealed the first returns of migrants crossing the Channel will begin later this month.

The Government wants to cut the numbers of students making asylum claims, the BBC reported.

According to the broadcaster, the full message being sent to students will say: “If you submit an asylum claim that lacks merit, it will be swiftly and robustly refused.

“Any request for asylum support will be assessed against destitution criteria. If you do not meet the criteria, you will not receive support.

“If you have no legal right to remain in the UK, you must leave. If you don’t, we will remove you.”

On Monday, MPs returned to Parliament after a summer which saw unrest over how ministers have handled the small boats crisis.