High Court Blocks Epping Asylum Hotel Sparking National Legal Challenges

A recent High Court ruling against the use of The Bell Hotel in Epping to house asylum seekers has sparked a wave of legal challenges by Conservative councils across the UK, encouraged by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. The ruling was precipitated by a local council blunder two years ago when Epping Forest District Council failed to act on planning permissions, allowing the hotel to be used for asylum accommodation without proper approval. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has defended Badenoch's call for legal action but faced criticism for the Conservative Party's record, as the number of asylum hotels increased from 10 to over 100 during his tenure as immigration minister in 2020. Despite Philp's claims that the Tories had been reducing asylum hotel numbers after their 2023 peak, BBC presenters pressed him on why Conservative councils did not pursue legal action while his party was in power, highlighting a perceived hypocrisy. Current Home Office data shows a decline in asylum seekers housed in hotels from over 56,000 in 2023 to around 32,000 in mid-2025, though some 210 hotels still accommodate about 32,000 asylum seekers. The controversy raises questions about the government's strategy for asylum accommodation and the political debate around immigration policy in the UK.