Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, is facing difficult decisions over housing asylum seekers after a High Court ruling that could force the government to rapidly vacate hotels. The ruling, which found that the Bell hotel in Epping breached planning laws by housing asylum seekers without permission, has opened the door for other councils to challenge similar arrangements.
The Home Office had planned to empty all 200 hotels housing asylum seekers by 2029, but this timeline may now be accelerated. Legal experts anticipate that many councils will launch similar applications for interim injunctions, citing planning law breaches. The Reform UK deputy leader, Richard Tice, has indicated his party will pursue cases in the ten council areas it controls.
The High Court has ordered that all asylum seekers be removed from the Bell hotel by 12 September, following an application by Epping council on 12 August. The government may appeal the decision, arguing that the Home Office was not allowed to intervene in a case directly related to its duties. However, if the appeal fails, ministers will face the same challenge that has dogged successive Tory home secretaries: finding alternatives to hotels.
The number of asylum hotels peaked at 400 under previous governments due to a shortage of housing and a growing backlog of applications. Labour has since increased processing speeds and used more dispersal accommodation, but the ruling threatens to disrupt these efforts. The political fallout could embolden anti-asylum seeker protesters and boost Reform UK, which is already leading in some polls.
