Home Secretary grilled on use of Treasury reserves to fund asylum hotels

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has declined to rule out using Treasury reserves to pay for emergency asylum accommodation, as she vowed to “end the use of hotels”.Her shadow James Cleverly rejected allegations that the previous government left accommodation costs undisclosed, as he called on Ms Cooper to commit they would be paid for from the Home Office budget.On her appointment as Chancellor Rachel Reeves accused the previous government of leaving a £22 billion black hole of unfunded commitments that it had “covered up from the country”, including £6.4 billion on hotel accommodation for asylum seekers.