People have "every right to engage in protest", shadow home secretary Chris Philp has said amid fears a High Court ruling could trigger demonstrations outside asylum hotels. His comments come as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch encourages councils to launch legal challenges against hotels housing asylum seekers.
Philp told BBC Breakfast that people are "understandably angry" about the Government's border policies and have the right to peaceful protest. He stressed the word "peacefully", saying non-peaceful protest should be dealt with by police.
Badenoch has written to Conservative council leaders encouraging them to follow Epping Forest District Council's example in taking legal action against asylum hotels. Borough of Broxbourne Council, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, and Hillingdon Council are all considering similar challenges.
Court victory sets precedent
Epping Forest District Council secured a temporary High Court injunction this week blocking the use of the Bell Hotel as asylum accommodation on planning grounds. Home Office lawyers warned the ruling "runs the risk of acting as an impetus for further violent protests" after several demonstrations outside the hotel.
The decision appears to have set a precedent, with councils across party lines now considering action. Labour-run authorities in Tamworth and Wirral are studying the judgment, while Reform UK leaders in Staffordshire and West Northamptonshire are also exploring further action.
Government defends record
Education minister Catherine McKinnell said Labour had "inherited a terrible mess" from the previous government, including a massive backlog of asylum claims. The Government has doubled the number of asylum claims processed and committed to ending hotel use by the end of this Parliament.
A Labour spokesperson dismissed Badenoch's letter as a "pathetic stunt" and "desperate and hypocritical nonsense from the architects of the broken asylum system". The spokesperson noted there are now "20,000 fewer asylum seekers in hotels than at their peak under the Tories".
Sources used: "PA Media", "The Guardian", "Evening Standard", "Independent", "Mirror", "The Standard", "Daily Mail", "Kent Live" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
