Reeves under scrutiny over claimed £1bn asylum saving given size of backlog

Chancellor wants to use of hotels to house claimants, but by speeding up the asylum process not putting them up elsewhere

Experts have questioned whether Rachel Reeves will be able to meet the spending promises she made on Wednesday, given how many of them require a sudden and unprecedented drop in the asylum backlog.

The chancellor said on Wednesday she would save 1bn by drastically reducing the number of asylum seekers waiting for a decision on their claims and ending the use of hotels to house them.