Dozens of demonstrations outside hotels housing asylum seekers are expected to be met by anti-racism campaigners today and over the weekend.
There has been a surge in protests against the use of such hotels since a larger demonstration at The Bell Hotel in Epping earlier this summer.
Following the release of new migration figures on Thursday, dozens more have been planned over the weekend.
Stand Up to Racism has co-ordinated counter-protests at almost every site, including seven on Friday.
These will go ahead outside hotels in cities and towns including Bournemouth, Cardiff, Chichester, and Leeds, with further demonstrations expected on Saturday.
Meanwhile, more councils are considering launching legal action against the use of hotels housing asylum seekers.
Hillingdon Council is the latest to indicate it is contemplating action following Epping Council’s High Court win, which granted them a temporary injunction to prevent migrants being housed in The Bell Hotel.
The government is scrambling to draw up a contingency plan as it braces for more challenges, including some from Labour-run councils.
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Key Points
- Anti-racism counter-protests planned for today
- More councils consider legal action
- Anti-asylum hotel demonstrations to take place across UK
- Number of asylum seekers in hotels dips in last three months
- Labour-run councils among those considering legal action
Asylum seeker in Epping hotel says close them and 'let us work'
09:15
,
Athena Stavrou
An asylum seeker staying in the Bell Hotel in Epping has urged the government to “close all the hotels” and allow people to work.
Mohammed, from Somalia, told the BBC that he thought regular housing “would be better”.
He expressed the desire to support himself by working instead.
"So, if you cannot work and you don't have enough socials [things to do], it is difficult," he told the broadcaster.
"They are not allowed to work; they stay for long time.
"We don't have guarantee [of becoming a] resident, so they get stress.
"The people, they go outside and they try to make problem."
Shadow minister asked if there are concerns protests could turn violent
08:43
,
Athena Stavrou
Shadow Home Office minister Katie Lam has said that members of the public have the right to protest, as police forces across the country prepare for an estimated 30 anti-migrant events and counter-protests.
She told GB News: "I think that we’ve been seeing are local people peacefully making their voices heard and their thoughts known. In a democracy we should all welcome putting forward how they feel about something, and voicing genuine concerns. They have a right to express that."
Asked if she was concerned that these protests could stretch police services, which will take place alongside Premier League football games and the Notting Hill Carnival, she said: “If they tip into violence but a lot of these protests haven’t and long may that continue.”
Asylum claims backlog at 71,000
08:27
,
Athena Stavrou
Thursday’s migration figures have shown that the government has made progress on cutting the asylum application backlog.
The total number waiting was 70,532 in June, down from more than 90,000 at the end of 2024, after the former Tory government stopped processing applications while it waited to see if it could send people to Rwanda under its ultimately failed deportation scheme.
The numbers waiting for more than 12 months for a decision are also falling significantly, although some 19,000 are still waiting.
As Epping case could bring migrant hotel use to an end – where else can asylum seekers go?
08:15
,
Athena Stavrou
A High Court Judge ruled that asylum seekers can no longer be housed at a hotel in Epping that has been the site of multiple protests in recent weeks.
The Home Office is responsible for asylum and protection in the UK, and must now find somewhere else for these people to go.
Some of the options include other hotels, HMOs or military bases:
More councils consider legal action
07:47
,
Athena Stavrou
Labour is facing the possibility of more councils launching legal action to restrict the use of asylum hotels.
Hillingdon Council is the latest to indicate it is considering its legal options following Epping Council’s High Court win.
Hillingdon Council leader Ian Edwards told Local Democracy Reporters: “Our head of legal will be reviewing the judgement to determine if a similar case can be brought."
The government is scrambling to draw up a contingency plan as it braces for challenges from authorities including Labour-run councils, who are now among those considering legal challenges of their own.
Counter-protests planned for today
07:33
,
Athena Stavrou
Seven counter-protests have been set up by anti-racism campaigners on Friday.
In recent weeks, there has been a surge in anti-migrant demonstrations outside hotels housing people who are seeking asylum.
Following the release of migration figures, dozens more have been planned over the weekend, The Independent understands.
Stand Up to Racism has co-ordinated counter-protests at almost every site.
On Friday counter-protests will go ahead outside hotels in cities and towns including Bournemouth, Cardiff, Chichester, and Leeds.
YouGov: More Britons blame Conservatives for issues around asylum hotels than blame Labour
07:12
,
Athena Stavrou
The Independent’s political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:
New YouGov polling finds that over a quarter (28%) of Britons say the previous Conservative government are most responsible for the issues around asylum seekers being housed in hotels, while one in five (19%) say the current Labour administration is most at fault.
Two in five (40%) Britons believe that the current Labour government and the previous Conservative administration are equally responsible.
Over half (57%) of people who voted for Reform UK at the last general election blame both equally:
Epping protesters and its council have 'led the way', says Robert Jenrick
06:30
,
Alex Ross
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said the people of Epping who protested outside the Bell Hotel, and its council have “led the way”.
Writing in The Telegraph, he said that “our country’s patience has snapped”.
It comes as a wave of fresh protests are expected this weekend outside hotels used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
Earlier this week, a judge granting Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction that blocked asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Essex.
The council had argued the injunction was needed amid “unprecedented levels of protest and disruption” in connection with the hotel.
Mr Jenrick wrote: “People are utterly sick of being ignored by the establishment.And this time they are doing something about it.
“It’s heartening to see people from all backgrounds fighting back against a rotten status quo – and winning.
“As a result of their success the Home Office is now under immense pressure to deport those here illegally rather than managing failure by housing them across the country.”
People have ‘every right’ to protest asylum hotels – shadow home secretary
06:00
,
Holly Evans
People have “every right to engage in protest”, the shadow home secretary has said, amid concerns a High Court ruling could trigger a wave of demonstrations outside asylum hotels.
Chris Philp named three Conservative-led councils which are considering taking legal action against hoteliers whose property is being used to house asylum seekers.
His party’s leader Kemi Badenoch has written to Conservative council leaders “encouraging” them to follow Epping Forest District Council’s footsteps by launching bids to shut these hotels, if their “legal advice supports it”.
Read the full article here:
Kemi Badenoch claims number of hotels halved under Tories
05:00
,
Holly Evans
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has responded to the latest Home Office migration figures.
"Labour say the number of asylum hotels has halved. What they aren’t saying is all of that cut happened before the general election last year," she says. "If Labour had continued on that trajectory, there would be no asylum hotels today."
"Instead, progress has stopped. The number of asylum hotels has remained constant, the number of small boat arrivals has hit record highs, and they voted against our Deportation Bill that would bring in a proper deterrent and ensure we deported illegal arrivals asap."
Labour say the number of asylum hotels has halved. What they aren’t saying is all of that cut happened before the general election last year.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) August 21, 2025
If Labour had continued on that trajectory, there would be no asylum hotels today.
Instead, progress has stopped. The number of asylum… pic.twitter.com/7VBfede26l
Security minister refuses multiple times to outline alternative to asylum hotels
04:00
,
Holly Evans
How people in Epping reacted to closure of migrant hotel
03:00
,
Holly Evans
Locals in Epping have welcomed an injunction to block asylum seekers from being housed at a nearby hotel, but raised concerns the decision would only “kick the can down the road”.
Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary High Court injunction on Tuesday blocking asylum seekers from being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.
Several protests and counter-protests have been held in the town since Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a then-resident at the hotel, was charged with trying to kiss a teenage girl, which he denies.
Following the decision on Tuesday, a crowd of about a dozen people gathered outside the hotel brandishing flags, shouting “We’ve won” and popping sparkling wine, while passing traffic honked their horns at them.
Read the full article here:
What the UK’s migration numbers really show
02:00
,
Holly Evans
The number of asylum seekers housed in government hotels has risen in the first year under Labour, piling further pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to get a grip on the growing number of people making dangerous Channel crossings.
It follows a High Court ruling on Tuesday that banned the use of The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, for asylum seekers after lawyers argued it had become a “feeding ground for unrest” following a string of violent protests at the site.
As Labour braces for a fresh round of legal action from revolting councils seeking similar bans in their areas, new Home Office figures reveal that the number of people claiming asylum in the past year soared to a record 111,000, while small boats continue to cross the Channel at increasing rates.
Read the full article here:
Antrim and Newtownabbey Council probes hotel being used for asylum seekers
01:00
,
Holly Evans
A local council in Northern Ireland has started a probe into a hotel being used to house asylum seekers.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Council confirmed that an enforcement investigation has commenced.
It is understood it is into the legal planning status of the hotel in Co Antrim being used to house asylum seekers.
A council spokesperson said they have no further comment to make at this time.
Where asylum hotel protests are expected this weekend
Friday 22 August 2025 00:34
,
Alex Ross
Stand Up to Racism is preparing counter-protests to expected protests outside hotels across the country this weekend.
The group says it understands the protests are taking place in the following towns and cities:
Friday
Bournemouth, Cardiff, Chichester, Leeds, Leicester, Orpington, Portsmouth
Saturday
Bristol, Cannock, Gloucester, Horley, Leicester, Liverpool, Long Eaton, Maidstone, Newcastle, Tamworth and Wakefield
Politicians making mischief over asylum hotels are in for an unwelcome surprise
Thursday 21 August 2025 23:00
,
Holly Evans
The High Court’s ruling that asylum seekers must be moved out of the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, leaves Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, with a nasty headache. The small boats keep on coming and, under the law, asylum seekers must be housed somewhere while their cases are assessed.
The Home Office was behind the curve on the legal action by Tory-led Epping Forest District Council, issuing a last-minute plea to no avail. There is gloom among ministers, who fear a dangerous precedent has been set; they are privately bemused that the ruling was based on the hotel owner’s failure to obtain a change of use permission under planning regulations. Ministers fear this will encourage more protests outside other asylum hotels, creating an opening for the far right.
The ruling shines an unwelcome spotlight on the small boats crisis. In fact, the government has had a reasonable run on this nightmarish issue in recent weeks, announcing a series of initiatives in the fallow summer period, including the potentially game-changing “one in, one out” returns agreement with France.
Read the full analysis from Andrew Grice here:
As Epping case could bring migrant hotel use to an end – where else can asylum seekers go?
Thursday 21 August 2025 22:00
,
Holly Evans
A High Court Judge ruled that asylum seekers can no longer be housed at a hotel in Epping that has been the site of multiple protests in recent weeks.
Epping Forest District Council won an interim injunction to stop asylum seekers being hosted at The Bell Hotel, saying it had become a “feeding ground for unrest.”
The judgement requires all migrants currently housed in the hotel – around 140 men as of last month – to leave by 4pm on 12 September.
Read the full article here:
Manchester sees biggest rise in migrants being housed in hotels
Thursday 21 August 2025 21:21
,
Holly Evans
The latest figures show that Manchester City Council was the local authority with the biggest numerical jump in people staying in hotels, from 874 at the end of March to 1,158 at the end of June.
This was followed by Birmingham City Council, which rose from 1,018 to 1,226 over the same period.
Both Warwick District Council and West Northamptonshire Council followed, seeing rises of 197 over the three-month period.
The former went from housing 168 asylum seekers in hotels to 365, while the latter saw a rise from 201 to 398.
Blackpool Borough Council had the same numerical rise as Epping Forest, both increasing by 171 people between March and June.
But the overall numbers for Blackpool are higher – housing 389 asylum seekers in hotels at the end of June, up from 218 at the end of March.
Anti-asylum hotel demonstrations to take place across UK
Thursday 21 August 2025 20:54
,
Tom Watling
Demonstrations and counter-protests are expected to take place across the UK this weekend, with more than a dozen areas affected, The Independent understands.
A wave of protests are expected this weekend following the High Court ruling in favour of Epping Council blocking the use of The Bell Hotel to house asylum seekers.
It is understood that among the areas where demonstrations are due to take place are Chichester, Cannock, Wakefield and Tamworth, as well as Gloucester and Maidstone.
What next for social media ‘martyr’ Lucy Connolly after leaving prison?
Thursday 21 August 2025 20:50
,
Tom Watling
Recap: Asylum hotel numbers up 8% on last year under Labour
Thursday 21 August 2025 20:00
,
Holly Evans
The number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels has risen by 8% under Labour on the same point last year, according to newly published data.
The figures come just days after a court ruled that more than 100 asylum seekers currently staying at a hotel in Essex should be removed from the accommodation after a council brought a legal case.
The High Court judgment has led to ministers bracing for further legal challenges from councils across the country and pressure on the Government as to where else they can house asylum seekers.
Read the full story here:
People have ‘every right’ to protest asylum hotels – shadow home secretary
Thursday 21 August 2025 19:00
,
Holly Evans
People have “every right to engage in protest”, the shadow home secretary has said, amid concerns a High Court ruling could trigger a wave of demonstrations outside asylum hotels.
Chris Philp named three Conservative-led councils which are considering taking legal action against hoteliers whose property is being used to house asylum seekers.
His party’s leader Kemi Badenoch has written to Conservative council leaders “encouraging” them to follow Epping Forest District Council’s footsteps by launching bids to shut these hotels, if their “legal advice supports it”.
Read the full article here:
Does Denmark hold the key to Britain’s asylum problem?
Thursday 21 August 2025 18:00
,
Holly Evans
“They’ve got to know that if they come here, they won’t stay here.” Nigel Farage? Robert Jenrick? Suella Braverman? Not on this occasion. These hostile words about refugees coming by irregular means to Britain were uttered on the BBC by a King’s Counsel, chum of Tony Blair, the former lord chancellor and impeccable social democrat Lord Falconer.
A pillar of the liberal establishment and still a senior and respected figure in Labour circles, Charlie Falconer is perhaps indicative of a shifting mood at the top of his party about how to deal with the migrant crisis – both in practical policy terms, and as it is currently translating into some pretty raw party politics.
As Falconer says, immigration, and specifically irregular so-called “illegal” migration is fast becoming a “defining political issue”. As he did not say, but heavily implied, it may also kill the first Labour government for 14 years long before its time.
Read the latest analysis from Sean O’Grady here:
Labour vows to increase removals of migrants
Thursday 21 August 2025 17:30
,
Holly Evans
The Government has vowed to ramp up removals of migrants with no right to be in the UK to deter those coming or staying in the country illegally.
Of migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel, some 569 people were returned in April-June this year.
This is down from 605 in the previous quarter, and is made up of both enforced and voluntary returns, where people who face deportation left of their own accord.
Some 2,330 migrants who arrived in small boats were returned during the year to June, down from 2,516 in the previous 12 months.
Of the 2,330 returns in the year to June, 75 per cent were Albanian nationals.
What has happened today?
Thursday 21 August 2025 17:00
,
Holly Evans
- Latest Home Office data shows the number of asylum seekers being housed temporarily in UK hotels has risen by 8 per cent under Labour on the same point last year.
- The figures come just days after a court ruled that more than 100 asylum seekers currently staying at a hotel in Essex should be removed from the accommodation after a council brought a legal case.
- The data shows there were 32,059 asylum seekers in UK hotels by the end of June, up from 29,585 at the same point a year earlier, when the Conservatives were still in power.
- Government spending on asylum in the UK stood at £4.76 billion in 2024/25, down 12 per cent from a record £5.38 billion in 2023/24
Security minister refuses multiple times to outline alternative to asylum hotels
Thursday 21 August 2025 16:30
,
Holly Evans
Epping asylum hotel numbers rose from 28 to 199 in three months
Thursday 21 August 2025 16:00
,
Holly Evans
A council at the centre of a legal case to block a hotel from housing asylum seekers was among the top 10 UK local authorities which saw the biggest rise in numbers staying in this kind of accommodation in recent months.
Epping Forest District Council in Essex went from housing 28 asylum seekers in hotels in its area in March this year, to 199 by the end of June.
The latest data breakdown, published by the Home Office on Thursday, comes two days after the council secured a High Court temporary injunction blocking the use of Epping’s Bell Hotel as accommodation for asylum seekers on planning grounds.
The legal case followed protests and counter-protests outside the Bell Hotel.
There were 124 local authorities across the UK housing asylum seekers in hotels at the end of June, according to the Home Office data.
This is around a third of all UK authorities.
As Epping case could bring migrant hotel use to an end – where else can asylum seekers go?
Thursday 21 August 2025 15:36
,
Holly Evans
A High Court Judge ruled that asylum seekers can no longer be housed at a hotel in Epping that has been the site of multiple protests in recent weeks.
Epping Forest District Council won an interim injunction to stop asylum seekers being hosted at The Bell Hotel, saying it had become a “feeding ground for unrest.”
The judgement requires all migrants currently housed in the hotel – around 140 men as of last month – to leave by 4pm on 12 September.
Read the full article here:
Labour MP condemns arson attack on building after speculation on social media
Thursday 21 August 2025 15:14
,
Holly Evans
Labour MP Oliver Ryan has condemned recent attacks on his constituents “for the colour of their skin” and an arson attack on a building that was falsely believed to be repurposed for asylum seekers.
The Burnley MP said: “Last night in Gannow, a building 100 metres from Whittlefield Primary was set on fire after online speculation and a Reform councillor said it was being converted into a HMO site, implying completely falsely that this is being used to house illegal migrants. It isn’t even applying to be a HMO but supported social housing.”
He continued: “I want to be clear despite Reform councillors praying for one and whipping up as much as they can, we don’t have any asylum hotels in the Burnley constituency.
“What we do have however, quite shamefully, is families and individuals being attacked in our area. British families and British individuals for the colour of their skin. I’ve been contacted by many of them, windows being put in on houses where people are assuming asylum seekers live.”
Things are getting serious now.
— Oliver Ryan MP (@OliverRyanUK) August 20, 2025
It's time for some facts about local Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and asylum hotels, to stop the nonsense. Lets have it right - concerns about illegal migration are valid, but people in our area are being targeted & its got to stop.
1/2 pic.twitter.com/BAKxVq6qK7
What the UK’s migration numbers really show
Thursday 21 August 2025 14:47
,
Holly Evans
The number of asylum seekers housed in government hotels has risen in the first year under Labour, piling further pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to get a grip on the growing number of people making dangerous Channel crossings.
It follows a High Court ruling on Tuesday that banned the use of The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, for asylum seekers after lawyers argued it had become a “feeding ground for unrest” following a string of violent protests at the site.
As Labour braces for a fresh round of legal action from revolting councils seeking similar bans in their areas, new Home Office figures reveal that the number of people claiming asylum in the past year soared to a record 111,000, while small boats continue to cross the Channel at increasing rates.
Read the full analysis from our data correspondent Alicja Hagopian here:
Asylum seekers have right to privacy in their homes, council says
Thursday 21 August 2025 14:30
,
Holly Bancroft
Asylum seekers have a human right to privacy in their homes, the City of York council has said as right-wing politicians call for protests outside of migrant hotels.
Reform MP Richard Tice yesterday urged local residents to protest outside asylum hotels.
Now Labour-led City of York council have said that allocation of asylum accommodation is up to central government, adding: “Asylum seekers also have a human right to privacy in their home and we wouldn’t release details relating to this, including whether any hotels are being used in our area.“
We are not progressing with any legal action relating to hotel accommodation.”
What options does the Home Office have now?
Thursday 21 August 2025 14:23
,
Holly Evans
Last month, amid protests outside the Bell Hotel and more migrants crossing the Channel, an extra 400 spaces were being prepared to house male asylum seekers at RAF Wethersfield in Essex.
The former military site, which has a usual capacity of 800 beds, is expected to house more adult men on a short-term basis.
The Labour Government scrapped the large site of the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland, Dorset, earlier this year, while Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent, is also due to end housing asylum seekers and be returned to the Ministry of Defence in September.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
Thursday 21 August 2025 14:04
,
Holly Evans
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation, known as contingency accommodation, if they are awaiting assessment of their claim or have had a claim approved and there is not enough longer-term accommodation available.
The Home Office provides accommodation to asylum seekers who have no other way of supporting themselves on a “no choice” basis, so they cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to accommodation such as hotels and large sites, like former military bases.
In May, the National Audit Office said those temporarily living in hotels accounted for 35 per cent of all people in asylum accommodation.
