LONDON: A UK judge on Tuesday blocked asylum seekers from being housed at a hotel in a town which has witnessed violent protests, dealing a blow to the government.
The high court judge approved a request by the local authority in Epping, northeast of London, for a temporary injunction to stop migrants from being housed at the Bell Hotel.
The ruling, which came after the interior ministry was unsuccessful in trying to dismiss the case, raises questions about the government’s ability to provide accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees.
It also comes as Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces serious political heat from the hard-right Reform UK party for failing to stop irregular migrants crossing the Channel to England on small boats.
Protests broke out in Epping in July after an asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, which he denies.
Since then hundreds of people have taken part in protests and counter-protests outside the Bell Hotel. Further anti-immigration demonstrations also spread to London and around England.
The council argued that putting the migrants in the Bell Hotel presented a “clear risk of further escalating community tensions.”
It sought an injunction that would mean the hotel’s owners, Somani Hotels Limited, must remove asylum seekers from the property within 14 days.
Judge Stephen Eyre granted the interim order, but gave the owners until September 12 to stop housing the migrants.
He issued his judgment after lawyers for the Home Office claimed that approving the request would “substantially impact” its ability to provide accommodation for asylum seekers across the UK.
Police say there have been at least six protests in Epping since July 17, with officers and vehicles attacked during some of the demonstrations.
Several men appeared in court on Monday charged with violent disorder over the protests.
Starmer has vowed to slash the number of migrants and asylum seekers in Britain, as well as reduce legal migration, to stave off pressure from the far-right Reform party, led by Brexit-leader Nigel Farage and riding high in polls.
More than 50,000 people have made the dangerous crossing from northern France in rudimentary vessels since Starmer became UK leader last July.
Labour has pledged to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers before the next election, likely in 2029, in a bid to save billions of pounds.
Protest-hit UK town wins bid to empty asylum-seeker hotel
