There have been a series of protests outside the Epping hotel (Image: Getty)
The future of more than 200 migrant hotels was thrown into doubt after a bombshell court ruling dubbed “a victory for the mums and dads”. The High Court granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction to prevent asylum seekers being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, following weeks of protests after a resident was charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded it a “victory for the mums and dads I spoke to in Epping who just want their children to be safe". And Reform UK’s Nigel Farage declared that the “victory” should act as an “inspiration across the country”.
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The ruling could now open the floodgates for similar campaigns to close migrant hotels “up and down the country”.
Mrs Badenoch said: "Putting a hotel full of young male illegal immigrants in the middle of a community like Epping was always going to lead to issues. They need to be moved out of the area immediately.
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"But Epping is just one of many towns struggling with these asylum hotels.
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"Labour have no solution, they're not smashing any gangs and small boat arrivals are at record highs.
"I do have a plan - bring back a proper deterrent and remove all illegal arrivals immediately, so towns like Epping never have to deal with this again."
Mr Farage added: "This is a victory for the parents and concerned residents of Epping.
“They do not want their young women being assaulted on the streets.
"This community stood up bravely, despite being slandered as far right, and have won.
“They represent the vast majority of decent people in this country.
"Young, undocumented males who break into the UK illegally should not be free to walk the streets anywhere. They must be detained and deported.
"I hope that Epping provides inspiration to others across the country."
Chris Whitbread, the leader of Epping Forest District Council, speaks following the ruling (Image: PA)
The Bell was reopened by Labour in April after a surge in small boat arrivals, it is understood. It had been closed in early 2024.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick, who joined a protest on Sunday, said: “They protested. They were smeared. But they have won.
“The solution, however, cannot be to move the illegal migrants and force them on another community.
“This has gone on far too long. The country is well past breaking point.
“The last Government didn’t listen and failed. Starmer’s making it even worse. Change the laws. Get third country deals. Deport everyone who’s come here illegally. End this.”
The Home Office had warned the High Court that a temporary injunction could have a devastating impact on its asylum accommodation plans.
Barristers, acting on behalf of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, warned of a surge of “similar applications made elsewhere that would then aggravate pressures on the asylum estate”.
Injunction applications could become a “new norm adopted by local authorities”, they added.
The Home Office lawyers also suggested that granting the injunction “runs the risk of acting as an impetus for further violent protests”.
But Councillor Chris Whitbread urged other councils to follow their lead and utilise planning laws to close migrant hotels in their areas.
Cllr Whitbread said: “This is not the end of the end of the situation. We need to make sure that people stay calm and if they're going to demonstrate, demonstrate peacefully. The first two weeks of this process have been absolute hell for the town.
“We saw the requirement of police on our streets on a regular basis, riot police. It was awful. I don't want to see my town go that way. I love Epping. I was born there. I love the town. It's a great place to be. I don't want to see that sort of demonstration.
“[Other councils] need to look at their own planning rules, because that's what it comes down to at the end of the day. This is a breach of planning, and that's why we've been given a judgment today, and I would suggest that other councils will look at their own planting rules.
“We may be a bit of a test case. I have to say, I've been extremely disappointed in the Home Office from day one. They didn't listen, they didn't consult. They instructed and therefore that's why they find themselves with this problem.”
Some 32,345 asylum seekers are living in hotels, while 66,683 are living in “dispersal accommodation” - houses, flats and bedsits - across the country.
And the Daily Express revealed ministers have set aside ￡500m to invest in a “new, more sustainable accommodation model” as they scramble to close the 210 migrant hotels.
This “basic” accommodation, under the new cross-Government model, will be “used on a temporary basis” to house asylum seekers waiting for their cases to be processed.
Officials insist this will be “developed in consultation with local authorities”.
The Bell Hotel has been the target of regular protests for more than a month after an asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu has denied the charges against him and is due to stand trial later this month.
A second man who also resides at the hotel, Syrian national Mohammed Sharwarq, has separately been charged with seven offences, while several other men have been charged over disorder outside the hotel.
Home Office barrister Edward Brown KC said the Bell Hotel is "an appropriate site for accommodating asylum seekers notwithstanding the recent events".
He also said the injunction would "substantially interfere" with the Home Office's statutory duty in potentially avoiding a breach of the asylum seekers' human rights.
Piers Riley-Smith, for the hotel's owners Somani Hotels Limited, asked the judge to be allowed to appeal against the ruling, citing its "wide-reaching ramifications".
He said that there was a "compelling reason for the appeal to be heard", including the "precedent that would be set" by the ruling and the impact that it could have "on the wider strategy of the (Home Secretary) in relation to the housing of asylum seekers in hotels as part of meeting their statutory duties".
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Angela Eagle MP, Border Security Minister said: “This Government inherited a broken asylum system, at the peak there were over 400 hotels open.
“We will continue working with local authorities and communities to address legitimate concerns. Our work continues to close all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament.
“We will carefully consider this judgment. As this matter remains subject to ongoing legal proceedings it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."
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