An asylum seeker family is taking legal action against the Government after being forced out of a London hotel days before their son's first A-level exam. The family has secured a High Court review into the closure of the hotel, which required them to move to Scotland at short notice. They obtained an interim injunction blocking the forced relocation and claimed a breach of their human rights, The Telegraph reports.
Family's legal challenge
The family alleged that the Home Office failed to consider their needs and breached their human rights. They were told about the move to Scotland with just two weeks' notice, with the transfer planned for two days before the first A-level exam. Several appeals against the decision failed, and their legal representatives then secured an interim injunction preventing the move.
The Home Office attempted to remedy the situation by moving them into different hotels in London, but Action for Refugees in Lewisham (AFRIL) claimed this had not taken into account the family's accommodation needs. AFRIL said the family has spent almost four years being moved from hotel to hotel, and claimed the Home Office previously said they could remain in London while the eldest son finished his studies.
Criticism of hotel closures
Chloe White, executive director of AFRIL, criticised Labour's "hasty" approach to shutting migrant hotels. "Any short-term savings on accommodation will soon be outweighed by further social tension and the longer-term cost of sorting out the problems caused by the moves," she said.
Ms White said the case was indicative of the "overall approach of the Home Office" to hotel closures, with "people moved from areas where they have the support they need, to new locations with limited support infrastructure". She added: "This is disastrous for the individuals and places strain on the services in the areas they are moved to."
Wider context
Labour has closed a number of asylum seeker hotels in recent months, including the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, which became a focal point for protesters after a resident sexually assaulted a teenage girl. Fewer than 170 sites are now thought to be in use, down from a peak of 400 in 2023, with the Government pivoting to housing migrants at former military bases including Barnham in Suffolk and Bicester in Oxfordshire.
The family has been granted permission to proceed with their High Court challenge.
