One-hundred and eighteen thousand and counting. That’s the number of asylum-seekers who have crossed the Channel by small boats since 2018. It’s the scandal that won’t die, with the solutions mooted by the Tories – especially the Rwanda deportation plans – neutered by NGOs, lawyers and the Lords. Accommodating these asylum seekers and their drawn-out claims has been a political mountain that Sunak’s Conservatives have long-struggled to surmount, allowing Reform to surge in their newfound heartlands. A significant portion of the row has been occupied by the government’s use of hotels to hold as…