Overview

• Leaked messages from MPs including Lewis Cocking and Ben Obese-Jecty show criticism of a CCHQ advert listing state-provided housing, three-star accommodation and weekly allowances for Channel migrants.
• Lewis Cocking wrote that the advert “makes us look silly” and called for migrants to be held in detention centres and deported, while Obese-Jecty shared Nigel Farage’s critique and denounced “p--- poor comms” from party HQ.
• Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake acknowledged concerns over the advert but insisted it would remain online despite calls from MPs to withdraw it.
• The row highlights tension over the Conservatives’ legacy on asylum hotels, which peaked at around 400 sites in 2023 at an estimated cost of £3 billion.
• Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch is advancing tougher migration proposals, including an annual visa cap and a Deportation Bill, as Reform UK capitalises on hardline rhetoric.