MINISTERS have been accused of doing nothing to find almost 80 child asylum-seekers who have disappeared from a Home Office hotel in Brighton.

Hove Labour MP Peter Kyle told the Commons today that “nothing is happening” to locate the 76 children reported missing from a single hotel in his constituency, despite fears they might have been abducted by traffickers.

A whistleblower at Home Office contractor Mitie told the Observer on Sunday that he had seen children taken outside the hotel by criminal gangs and bundled into cars. 

The Home Office has said that it is “untrue” that the missing asylum-seekers have been kidnapped by gangs. 

But, speaking in the Commons, Mr Kyle said it was wrong of the department to say that the children were not being coerced into crime, citing a case last year when two child refugees were recovered from a car by police having been kidnapped by a gang leader. 

He said: “The uncomfortable truth for us is if one child who was related to one of us in this room went missing, the world would stop.

“But in the community I represent a child has gone missing, then five went missing, then a dozen went missing, then 50 went missing and currently today 76 are missing and nothing is happening.”

He warned that more children were likely to go missing unless something is done. 

Green MP Caroline Lucas also accused the government of failing to act. “Where is the special operation to find these children?” she asked. 

“We need an urgent investigation, and we need to ask how many more children are going to go missing before we actually see some action.”

Responding, Home Office minister Robert Jenrick insisted that children staying in the hotels were under “24/7 supervision” and that their movements were monitored and recorded. 

“We have no power to detain unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in these settings and we know that some do go missing,” he said.

“Over 4,600 unaccompanied children have been accommodated in hotels since July 2021.” 

Mr Jenrick said that 440 children have gone missing, with 200 remaining unfound. Of those 13 is under 16 and one is a girl. 

The reports have sparked calls for an urgent inquiry with the Home Office accused of ignoring repeated concerns by the local council, police and charities about the risk of putting children in these hotels.