The government’s strategy for housing asylum seekers in hotels hangs in the balance after a leading barrister warned that a landmark legal intervention in Essex could trigger a nationwide crisis. It is not known yet if the Labour run Southampton council will follow Epping’s lead for ensuring community safety. The residents of Avondale Court next to Highfield House Hotel have been asking for protection and support from the Police and Council for some time.
Steven Barrett, a barrister specialising in public law, told GB News: “If one hotel in Epping is breaking the law by filling it with migrants, then every hotel [housing asylum seekers] is.” His comments follow the recent removal of migrants from the Bell Hotel in Epping, which he believes could set off a “chain reaction” with repercussions far beyond ministers’ control.
The warning comes after Epping Forest District Council secured an interim High Court injunction on Tuesday, blocking the Home Office from placing asylum seekers at the Bell Hotel. The court decision follows mounting protests in the area, sparked by the charging of an asylum seeker with the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl. In recent weeks, thousands—including right-wing agitators—have gathered outside the hotel.
Campaigners and councils have for months questioned the legality and fairness of using hotels as makeshift accommodation for asylum seekers, arguing that the policy is unsustainable and potentially unlawful. The Home Office insists that hotels are a last resort, but ministers are now bracing for a wave of legal challenges from council leaders emboldened by the Epping ruling.
Home Office lawyers warned the court that the decision could “substantially impact” the government’s ability to house asylum seekers across the UK. With the legal precedent now set, barrister Steven Barrett says the government must urgently clarify the legal basis for its approach or risk losing control of the asylum accommodation system entirely.
Labour leader Keir Starmer’s own asylum plans which followed similar plans from the Conservative government have been thrown into turmoil, as the High Court’s intervention raises fresh questions about where asylum seekers will be housed and who has the power to decide. As similar legal challenges loom, the government faces mounting pressure to find more sustainable and lawful solutions for those seeking refuge in Britain.
Will Southampton Council take action and show they care about local residents such as those in Avondale Court?
