22 h. ago Awkward moment Nick Robinson reminds Chris Philp he opened Bell Hotel for asylum seekers

Nick Robinson reminded Chris Philp that he, as immigration minister under the Conservative government, opened up the use of the Bell Hotel in Epping for the use of housing asylum seekers during a live interview on BBC Radio 4 on Monday, 1 September.

Events

40 h. ago Labour minister insists the rights of Bell hotel asylum seekers trump those of families in Epping

Sir Keir Starmer could soon bleed voters after the Government won a controversial court victory allowing asylum seekers to stay at The Bell Hotel in Epping.

Politics

45 h. ago Labour minister insists the rights of Bell hotel asylum seekers are more important than families in Epping

Sir Keir Starmer could soon bleed voters after the Government won a controversial court victory allowing asylum seekers to stay at The Bell Hotel in Epping.

Politics

54 h. ago Furious Epping locals vow to stop paying council tax after High Court ruled asylum seekers CAN stay at controversial hotel

The Bell hotel in Epping became the epicentre of protests that swept the country last month after a migrant boarder was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Events

54 h. ago 'Thank you Keir!' Migrants staying at Epping hotel hail Starmer after his Government fought to keep asylum seekers there

Sir Keir has been thanked after a temporary injunction which blocked asylum seekers being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, was dramatically overturned at the Court of Appeal.

Events

66 h. ago Starmer warned he must shut migrant hotels or face losing Labour voters to Reform

Labour grandee Lord Falconer tells PM to take action over migrant crisis after government won Court of Appeal challenge over Epping hotel

Events

67 h. ago Labour must act to close asylum hotels or face Reform poll gains, ex

Charlie Falconer says government was right to challenge Epping hotel ruling but now has to ‘move forward’A former Labour justice secretary has warned that Reform UK will continue to rise in opinion polls unless the government moves faster to close hotels housing people seeking asylum.On Friday, the government won a court of appeal challenge against an injunction by Epping Forest district council that would have resulted in 130 asylum seekers being moved out of the Bell hotel. In recent weeks the hotel has become the focus of repeated protests, some of which have been orchestrated by far-right extremists and have turned violent. Continue reading...

Events

69 h. ago Epping hotel protest leads to arrests after asylum ruling overturned

The local council has said it is ‘ruling nothing out’ following the Court of Appeal decision

Events

2 d. ago Police arrest three as officers are injured in furious scenes outside Epping migrants hotel with demos expected today across UK as councils press ahead with legal fight to close asylum accommodation

Police have arrested people in angry scenes outside an Epping migrants hotel at the centre of a Government court case - with warnings of more protests to come.

Events

3 d. ago Asylum seekers to stay at Epping hotel in bombshell court ruling as minister makes vow

The Court of Appeal overturned an interim injunction on housing asylum seekers at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which risked plunging the asylum system into chaos

Events

3 d. ago Fury as judges overturn High Court order to clear asylum seekers from Epping's Bell Hotel

The local council has said it is ‘ruling nothing out’ following the Court of Appeal decision

Events

3 d. ago Government have ‘let down’ Epping residents over asylum hotel – council leader

Councillor Christopher Whitbread said he was ‘deeply disappointed’ after a Court of Appeal ruling on Friday.

Politics

3 d. ago 'Illegal migrants have more rights than the people of Essex': Fury grows after judge rules asylum seekers can stay at Epping migrant hotel

The Home Office and Somani Hotels, which owns the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, today successfully overturned a High Court ruling ordering them to remove all 138 residents.

Events

3 d. ago Asylum seekers can stay at Epping hotel as government wins court appeal

A ruling made last week would have stopped 138 asylum seekers from being housed at the hotel beyond September 12

Events

3 d. ago Home Office wins court appeal to keep asylum seekers at protest

The Court of Appeal found that the temporary injunction issued by the High Court included a ‘number of errors’

Events

3 d. ago Judges overturn High Court order to clear asylum seekers from Epping's Bell Hotel in bombshell ruling

Judges have overturned the High Court order to shutdown the asylum hotel after government warnings of nationwide chaos if the decision stood

Events

4 d. ago Home Office argues Essex migrant hotel protests driven by 'wider grievances' in court fight

The Government and Somani Hotels, which owns the Bell Hotel in Epping, are seeking to challenge a High Court ruling that will stop more than 100 people from being housed there

Events

9 d. ago ‘A dangerous moment’: the emboldening of Britain’s far right

In a summer of anti-migrant rallies, flags and nationalistic rhetoric, observers warn there is a lack of government voices pushing backThe Bell hotel in Epping has seen a lot since it was built in the 16th century as a coaching inn, serving travellers passing through the historic Essex market town and on to London, 15 miles to the south-west. This has long been a place that bustled with outsiders, though they have not always been welcome – the small green common opposite was once named after a beacon that local stories say was built to warn of invasion.Though now wrapped in ugly 1960s extensions that have stripped it of anything approaching charm, the unassuming building – close to agricultural land and a cricket pitch – is an unlikely place to spark a potential political crisis. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Asylum hotel protests latest: Government to appeal Epping court ruling as weekend of demonstrations looms

Government scrambles to draw up contingency plan as more councils indicate taking legal action

Events

1 week ago Government working on contingency plans after ruling on Epping migrant hotel

Ministers are now bracing for further legal challenges from councils across the country.

Politics