Immigration issues are becoming a hot potato for the UK government. In August 2025, the High Court ruled in favor of the local council in Epping, prohibiting the placement of illegal immigrants in local hotels, marking a milestone decision that is the first of its kind in the country and is prompting other councils to follow suit, putting immense pressure on the Labor government.
On August 19th, the Conservative-led Epping council won a temporary injunction from the High Court to evict illegal immigrants from the Bell Hotel.
In recent weeks, the Bell Hotel has become the focal point of local protests.
Taking advantage of the court ruling, some activists are calling for more councils to resort to legal action to evict illegal immigrants on a larger scale.
Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK party, stated that the 12 councils controlled by the party will “do everything” to follow in Epping council’s footsteps and take legal action.
The Conservative-controlled Broxbourne council also stated that they are considering litigation, with council leader Corina Gande telling the BBC that Epping has “set a precedent,” highlighting that the government’s policy has failed, and now local councils are standing up, saying, “We’ve had enough.”
Apart from facing pressure from the opposition, Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer is also facing “backlash” from his own party, as two Labor-led councils—Wirral and Tamworth—are considering legal action.
The quiet and picturesque town of Epping in northeast London has been embroiled in ongoing protests for weeks. Following at least one illegal immigrant being accused of sexually assaulting a local girl, the Bell Hotel in the area has become a target, with people continuously shouting and protesting outside.
Protesters include local parents, residents, and supporters, holding signs that read, “Protect Our Children.” Police have set up barriers around the hotel, leading to at least 14 people being charged for protesting and 23 arrests.
Anna Gregson, a 45-year-old resident of the town for 30 years, told The Telegraph that the residents are “scared,” and the sexual assault incident has deeply shocked them, calling it “too terrible.”
“These demonstrations are to show our firm stance. We want that hotel to be shut down.”
Following Epping’s lawsuit, the High Court issued a temporary injunction to prohibit illegal immigrants from staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping. All illegal immigrants must leave the hotel by 4 p.m. on September 12.
Farage, in an article for The Telegraph on August 19th, described the High Court’s ruling as a “great victory” for Epping’s parents and worried residents, hoping it will “inspire all the people of Britain” and calling for similar protest activities nationwide.
According to the polling website YouGov, the immigration issue has surpassed economic problems to become the biggest “pain point” for UK voters, with a record number of over 27,000 illegal immigrants arriving by small boat and crossing the English Channel to reach the UK this year.
Under the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act, the UK Home Office is obligated to provide accommodation and support for asylum seekers during the application process. Hotels can be used as “emergency accommodation” when housing is insufficient.
Due to a backlog in processing asylum applications and an increase in illegal crossings, the rate of illegal immigrants staying in hotels has surged in recent years.
Currently, there are over 30,000 illegal immigrants seeking asylum residing in over 200 hotels across the country. Faced with public and public opinion pressure, the Labor government has announced plans to close all asylum hotels by 2029.
Official figures show that the government had allocated £4.5 billion for hotel and asylum accommodation facilities from 2019 to 2029, which is now projected to reach £15.3 billion, over three times the original plan. In 2024 alone, this cost amounted to £1.67 billion, equivalent to £4.6 million per day or £3,172 per minute. This amount of money could build up to 15 new hospitals.
With weak economic growth, increasing inflation, stagnant real incomes for the working class, a relatively high crime rate among illegal immigrants, and the huge expenditure on the illegal immigration issue by the government, public resentment is boiling over.
Some activists argue that the situation of illegal immigrants staying in hotels starkly contrasts with the struggles faced by British people due to rising living costs and a shortage of affordable housing. Some locals say they wouldn’t even consider staying in such hotels on their birthdays, while now they are being given to illegal immigrants.
This summer, protests against immigration erupted in various parts of the UK. For instance, near London’s Heathrow Airport, a hotel faced protests— the Home Office planned to accommodate single male illegal immigrants in the Stanwell Hotel, leading to protesters throwing beer bottles at the hotel.
The local council issued a statement on August 20th, firmly opposing the Home Office’s decision and vowing to “never give up (the struggle)” by emulating Epping’s approach, “doing everything possible, taking all legal and strategic measures,” and stating that the council is currently working closely with legal advisors.
Last summer, a large-scale protest erupted in the UK after rumors spread that the killer of three girls in Southport was a radical Islamic immigrant, leading to riots and attacks on hotels housing immigrants. The protests resulted in 1,876 arrests, with 1,110 people facing charges.
The immigration crisis is a common issue in Europe, with governments across the continent facing increasing challenges in accommodating asylum seekers, including high migration flows, overloaded asylum systems, economic and social pressures, policy discrepancies, and humanitarian and security contradictions.