Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has launched a scathing attack on the government's controversial plan to house asylum seekers in a hotel in Epping Forest, Essex, labelling the situation a "disgrace" and a symptom of a "broken" asylum system.
The proposed use of the luxury hotel, located within the Conservative-held constituency of Epping Forest, has sparked significant local opposition and drawn fierce criticism from the Leader of the Opposition.
A System in Chaos
Speaking to The Independent, Sir Keir did not hold back, stating the move was emblematic of a Conservative government that has "completely lost control" of the UK's borders and asylum process. He highlighted the absurdity of the government's approach, which has seen a massive £6 million daily expenditure on hotel accommodations for asylum seekers due to a crippling backlog of cases.
"The system is broken," Starmer asserted. "They've lost control of the asylum system, they've got 100,000 cases stuck in the backlog, they're spending millions of pounds of taxpayers' money on hotels."
Local Outcry in Epping Forest
The specific plan for Epping Forest has become a focal point of national discontent. The hotel, which was reportedly set to house individuals while their claims were processed, has faced vehement protests from some local residents and the local Conservative MP, Dame Eleanor Laing.
Starmer pointed to this local opposition within a Tory stronghold as evidence of the policy's failure, noting the irony of the government's own voters turning against its plans. He accused ministers of creating a "huge fight" with local communities by forcing through these decisions without adequate consultation or a coherent strategy.
Starmer's Alternative Vision
Beyond the criticism, the Labour leader outlined his party's proposed solution. He vowed to scrap the "shambolic" hotel policy entirely by adopting a twin-track approach: clearing the historic backlog through a new, efficient case-processing unit and striking new agreements with other countries to returns those who do not have a legitimate claim to asylum.
This, he argued, would end the costly reliance on hotels and restore order to a system currently in chaos. The condemnation from the Labour leader signals that the government's handling of asylum seekers will remain a central and fiercely contested issue in the lead-up to the next general election.
