A top Labour minister has stood by the move to keep a controversial migrant hotel open amid fears axing it would have sparked ‘disruption’.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson insisted the Home Office was right to argue the rights of asylum seekers trumped those of local residents in Epping, Essex.
She said the axing of the town’s Bell Hotel – which has been plagued by weeks of unrest after an asylum seeker living there allegedly sexually assaulted two young girls – would have triggered ‘lots of disruption’ and left people ‘on the streets’.
Her comments come as Nigel Farage today warned Labour now faces a catastrophic wipeout in the polls over the fiasco, which he said would see support for his Reform UK party skyrocket.
Speaking to the Mail, Mr Farage said: ‘The question is ‘whose side are you on’. Clearly the government in the case of Epping has said the illegal immigrants. Reform says the mothers of Epping. This will drive many more voters towards us.’
The Government won a controversial court victory on Friday allowing asylum seekers to stay at The Bell Hotel – despite weeks of fierce protests outside the venue.
Epping Forest District Council had successfully sought an injunction against the use of the hotel for migrants after a series of violent protests rocked the facility.
However, the Home Office fought the ban – with Court of Appeal judges revoking the ‘seriously flawed’ verdict on Friday in a landmark ruling that sparked fury nationally.
Ms Phillipson defended the claim that the rights of asylum seekers were more important than those of local families living near hotels.
She told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme: ‘I completely understand why many people in places like Epping, where hotels have opened up, feel incredibly frustrated about that.
Labour has stood by a court ruling revoking the banning of a migrant hotel in Epping (pictured are protesters outside Norwich’s Brook Hotel on August 24)
It comes amid warnings Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party could see a boost in support
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson (pictured) said the Home Office was right to argue the rights of asylum seekers trumped those of local residents in Epping
‘They have a right to demonstrate lawfully and peacefully. But where it crosses a line that isn’t consistent with our long-standing traditions in this country of respect for the rule of law, respect for the police and our responsibility to make sure that we have safe communities for everybody living there.’
Her comments come despite a dire warning from former Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer, who said Sir Keir now faces haemorrhaging support over the crisis if Labour does not axe the hotels.
Lord Falconer, who served under former prime minister Sir Tony Blair, said: ‘The Government always has the burden of doing what’s possible and the Government is doing the right thing in relation to it, but there’s a lot more to do, and if we don’t, as a government, do it, then you’ll see those opinion polls raised yet further for Reform, because they don’t have the burden of having to be practical.
‘But the country wants some action in relation to it.’
If the Epping injunction had not been overturned on Friday, 138 asylum seekers would have been ejected from The Bell from September 12.
Protests flared up across the country yesterday in the wake of the decision, amid accusations Labour is ‘taking the side of migrants over Britons’.
Following the Court of Appeal decision, a grinning migrant was caught on camera giving protesters outside an asylum hotel the middle finger just hours after the government won a controversial legal victory.
The young man was seen at the window of the Roundhouse hotel in Bournemouth, Dorset last night as around 200 demonstrators called for it to be shut down.
A demonstrator clashes with Police officers during an anti-immigration protest outside the Sheraton Four Points hotel, believed to be housing asylum seekers
Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate in Epping amid concerns about the asylum hotel there
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls to close Britain’s migrant hotels
Photos show campaigners holding Union and England flags gathering outside hotels in Swindon, Oldham, Newcastle, Falkirk and Stoke-on-Trent, among other places on Saturday.
Counter demonstrations were also held – with the group Stand Up To Racism calling on its supporters to rally against what it called ‘far-right and fascist thugs’.
In Newcastle, cries of ‘send them back’ and ‘stop the boats’ were met with loud choruses of ‘no hate, no fear, refugees are welcome here’ by an equal number of counter protesters.
At one point, the far-right protesters, decked out in Union flags, broke into a spontaneous rendition of ‘Rule Britannia.’
Meanwhile, angry activists who descended on a Falkirk hotel were met by hundreds of counter protesters.
Two separate demonstrations were called by the Save Our Future and Our Kids Futures group in the town yesterday, amid fears of local people about alleged crimes linked to those housed at the Cladhan Hotel.
The young man was seen at the window of the Roundhouse hotel in Bournemouth, Dorset, last night, as 200 demonstrators gathered outside
Rival protest groups clash outside the New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle this afternoon
Counter protesters from Stand Up To Racism come out in support of refugees in Scotland on Saturday
The first saw hundreds gather outside the office of Labour MP Euan Stainbank, where speeches were made, and people took aim at the UK Government, the police and journalists who were covering the protest.
More than 200 later assembled outside the nearby Cladhan Hotel, which is believed to house asylum seekers waiting for their claims to be processed.
It comes as at least 19 councils have vowed to fight back against the Court of Appeal’s decision and press ahead with campaigns to shut down asylum hotels in their areas.
According to The Times, this includes at least four Labour-run authorities – Wirral Council, Stevenage Borough Council, Tamworth Borough Council and Rushmoor Borough Council.
Reform UK has called on the 12 councils it controls to start exploring legal options to stop asylum seekers being housed in local hotels.
However, this morning Mr Farage’s party was accused of ‘whipping up anger’ about immigration by Ms Phillipson, who said Reform did not have an answer to the crisis.
Speaking on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News, the minister said: ‘I understand the frustration that people feel, because I understand when they see, for example, asylum hotels and big numbers of people in their community.
‘I understand how that can make people feel.
A counter-demonstration protest gathers to face an anti-immigration protest outside the New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle on August 30
‘But Nigel Farage and Reform, they don’t actually want to sort this problem – interests are served by whipping up anger rather than fixing it.’
Asked what the difference is between what the Labour Government says on immigration and what Reform says, Ms Phillipson replied: ‘The difference is we’ll actually take action.’
Reform UK’s deputy leader said it was ‘ridiculous’ to suggest his party could encourage people to break into hotels and intimidate asylum seekers.
Asked if he could be clear there was ‘no encouragement’ from the party to ‘the sort of person who wants to break into asylum hotels in masks and to intimidate asylum seekers’, Richard Tice said: ‘Of course, what a ridiculous suggestion.’
‘It’s an outrageous suggestion. Of course we’re not suggesting that,’ he added.
‘We’ve always suggested lawful, peaceful protest, nothing else.’
In further criticism, the Archbishop of York said the UK should resist Reform’s ‘kneejerk’ plan for the mass deportation of migrants.
Stephen Cottrell said he has ‘every sympathy’ with people who are worried about asylum seekers coming to the country illegally but warned Mr Farage is not offering any ‘long-term solution’ to the crisis.
Demonstrators gather during an anti-immigration protest outside the New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle on Saturday
He slammed the plan announced by Reform on Tuesday to deport 600,000 people, which would be enabled by striking deals with the Taliban and Iran, saying it will not ‘solve the problem’.
Mr Cottrell, who is currently acting spiritual head of the Church of England while a new Archbishop of Canterbury is chosen, told Sky News Reform has ‘done nothing to address the issue of what brings people to this country’.
‘And so if you think that’s the answer, you will discover in due course that all you have done is made the problem worse,’ he warned.
Elon Musk has since waded into the debate in another fiery online broadside against Labour.
In a post on his social media platform X, the world’s richest man appeared to support a recent trend of nationalism, which has seen activists raising the Union and English flags in towns and cities across the country.
Sharing a video of one such flag-raising in north Wales, billionaire tech mogul Musk wrote: ‘People of the great nations of Britain & Ireland, rally NOW to save your beautiful countries! It’s now or never. Fight, fight, fight! Soon, it will be too late.’
Sir Keir Starmer responded to the unrest over the weekend by promising small boat migrants will be ‘detained and sent back’.
In a social media post, the PM said: ‘I am clear: we will not reward illegal entry. If you cross the Channel unlawfully, you will be detained and sent back.’
The government has previously argued that the need to protect the human rights of asylum seekers by housing them in hotels, outweighed the safety concerns of local families.
The protest comes a day after the Court of Appeal overturned a lower court ruling that would have evicted asylum seekers housed at a hotel in Epping, north of London
Anti-migrant protesters (pictured) hold a demonstration outside the Thistle Hotel in Swindon
However, MPs and the local council reacted furiously to the decision to keep housing asylum seekers in Epping, with Reform leader Nigel Farage saying illegal migrants now had more rights than Britons under Sir Keir Starmer.
Conservative party leader Kemi Badenoch also accused the prime minister of ‘putting the rights of illegal immigrants above the rights of British people’.
If the Epping injunction had not been overturned on Friday, some 138 asylum seekers would no longer have been able to be housed there beyond September 12.
The case could have had wider ramifications, as more than 200 hotels are being used to house asylum seekers around the country.
Lord Falconer said the Government was right to take the Epping case to the Court of Appeal but said people were demanding action to close asylum hotels.
He rejected suggestions that the UK may have to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights to be able to efficiently remove people with no right to be in the country.
‘We’ve obviously got to move forward in relation to closing the hotels and also stopping the crossings,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s Today.
Last night anger began building outside The Bell Hotel in Epping at the news of the ruling.
The council said the owners of the three-star hotel had breached planning rules by using it as accommodation for small-boat migrants.
Photos show campaigners holding Union and England flags gathering outside hotels in Newcastle, Swindon (pictured), Falkirk and Stoke-on-Trent on Saturday
Police officers stand by protesters outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex last night
Anti-migrant protesters (pictured) hold a demonstration outside the Thistle Hotel in Swindon
Rival protest groups clash outside the New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle yesterday afternoon
Rival protest groups clash outside the New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle on Saturday afternoon
Somani Hotels, which owns the establishment, and the Home Office challenged the injunction.
The three Court of Appeal judges said last week’s decision by High Court judge Mr Justice Eyre was ‘seriously flawed’.
Lord Justice Bean, sitting with Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb, said: ‘We conclude that the judge made a number of errors in principle, which undermine this decision.
‘The judge’s approach ignores the obvious consequence that the closure of one site means capacity needs to be identified elsewhere.’
Lord Justice Bean added that such an injunction ‘may incentivise’ other councils to take steps similar to those taken by Epping.
Lawyers for Home Secretary Yvette Cooper had argued that shutting the hotel would set a ‘dangerous precedent’ which would have encouraged similar litigation by other councils.
Mr Farage claimed the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) had been ‘used’ by the Government ‘against the people of Epping’.
Demonstrators are seen wearing Union and England flags during an anti-immigration protest outside the New Bridge Hotel in Newcastle on Saturday
An anti-immigration protester poses with a Union flag with the slogan: ‘Stop the boats’
Counter-protesters hold banners reading: ‘Newcastle welcomes refugees’ and ‘Your racism isn’t patriotic it’s idiotic’
Anti-migrant protesters demonstrate outside the Cladhan Hotel on August 30 in Falkirk, Scotland
Responding on Sunday, Ms Phillipson insisted the Government will be looking into making changes to the ECHR to tackle immigration levels.
She said the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was ‘committed’ to look at article 8 of the ECHR specifically – which protects the right to privacy and family life, as well as home and correspondence.
‘Home Secretary has committed to looking at the article 8 provisions to see whether they need updating and reforming for the modern age,’ Ms Phillipson told Sky News.
‘We do believe there needs to be reform of the ECHR and that’s what the Home Secretary is looking at.’
Ms Phillipson nuanced her comments by adding changes to the ECHR need to be balanced against the UK’s obligations under international law and global standing.
She told Sky News: ‘But we also believe as a Government that our responsibilities under international law matter too, and our standing in the world matters as well.
‘Our standing in the world matters if we want to strike trade deals with countries, and we’ve had great success in recent years in striking those trade deals.
‘Then we need to be a country that’s taken seriously. We need to be a country that honours our obligations and honours the rule of law.
‘Those are important principles we talk about.’
Protesters block the road outside The Delta Marriott Hotel in Cheshunt after the local council announced plans to try to prevent asylum seekers from staying there
More than 200 protesters against asylum seekers being housed in hotels gather outside The Roundhouse in Bournemouth on Friday night
The Court of Appeal overturned an injunction ordering the removal of migrants from the Bell Hotel (pictured) in Epping
Anger was brewing last night as groups of protestors (pictured) gathered at the Bell Hotel in Epping following the ruling
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the Epping case had ‘seen the Labour Government using the courts against the British public’.
He added: ‘The Government even brazenly said in court that the rights of illegal immigrants were more important than the rights of local people.
‘The numbers in asylum hotels were dropping fast before the election – but have risen since because Labour has lost control of our borders.’
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick called the ruling ‘extremely disappointing’ as he urged councils to still take action to close asylum hotels in their areas.
He said: ‘Yvette Cooper’s decision to put two fingers up to the legitimate anger of the British public will surely inspire even more protests across the country. People are fed up with the Government siding with illegal migrants over the British people.’
Epping council said it was ‘deeply disappointed’ by the ruling, which had led to ‘doubt and confusion’.
Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said while the Government was successful in its appeal, the reality of using hotels to house asylum seekers was ‘untenable’ and called for refugees to be housed in neighbourhoods.
He said: ‘Waiting until 2029 to end their use is no longer an option. As long as hotels remain open, they will continue to be flashpoints for protest.’
Police officers secure the area as a protester dubbed one of the ‘Pink Ladies’ hold a Union flag outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on August 29
Protesters (pictured) marched towards the Bell Hotel on Friday evening, waving the St George and Union flags
Anti-racism groups holding Palestinian flags gather in Newcastle on Saturday
A protester (pictured) was seen holding a St George’s Cross outside the Court of Appeal
Border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said: ‘We inherited a chaotic asylum accommodation system costing billions.
‘This government will close all hotels by the end of this Parliament and we appealed this judgment so hotels like the Bell can be exited in a controlled and orderly way that avoids the chaos of recent years that saw 400 hotels open at a cost of £9million a day.’
Epping’s legal challenge followed a series of protests outside the hotel amid accusations of sexual assault regarding two men being housed there.
Some protests involved clashes with police, resulting in six men being charged with violent disorder, two of whom have pleaded guilty. Two residents of the Bell Hotel have been charged with sexual assault.
Essex Police were anticipating trouble last night, with as many as four marked vans parked on the hotel’s forecourt from early in the afternoon, and ten officers standing outside. Migrants had reportedly been advised to stay inside.
Within minutes of the judges’ decision, local Conservative councillor Shane Yerrell arrived at the hotel.
He said: ‘This decision is disgusting. I’ve just been on the phone with the father of the girl whose sexual assault case involving one of the migrants has been in court this week.
‘This decision is disgusting for them. Local mums and dads want the hotel closed – as the first judgment said.’
There have been fresh protests (pictured) outside the Bell Hotel in Epping this week prior to Friday’s ruling
A protester holding an England flag stands outside the High Court in London yesterday
Reform leader Nigel Farage (pictured) said illegal migrants now had more rights than Britons under Sir Keir Starmer
The number of protesters outside the hotel was growing by 5pm, with new arrivals including ‘pink ladies’ great-grandmother-of-five Shirley Mooney, 68, alongside her neighbour and fellow grandmother Carmen MacDonald, 60.
Both were wearing T-shirts with ‘The only way is Epping’ on the front – and ‘Send them home, protect our kids’ on the back.
Ms Mooney worked in the Bell as a manager until 1998, said of the latest judgment: ‘I am absolutely disgusted. It’s horrific, a joke.
‘Whose side are these judges on? They need the sack. As soon as we heard the news, we came down here to show our support. We won’t stop.’
The only person here celebrating the judgment last night was a migrant resident.
Advised by staff not to speak or leave his room, he texted your reporter to say of the judges’ decision: ‘I am pleased. ‘It had been a worry.’
