Reform UK Plans Legal Action to Close Migrant Hotels

Reform UK has announced plans to use every legal tool available—including judicial reviews, injunctions, and planning laws—to prevent asylum seekers from being housed in hotels within councils the party now controls. Party chairman Zia Yusuf acknowledged that while local councils have limited power compared to Westminster, Reform's legal teams are actively exploring regulations that could challenge the conversion of hotels into migrant hostels. The party's leaders argue that the current system burdens local economies, affects tourism, and erodes public trust in the asylum process. In addition to legal action, Reform UK intends to audit council spending and scrutinize job roles to cut costs in the authorities under its control. Yusuf has stated that the first legal challenges are expected within 100 days, signaling a broader pushback against government migrant dispersal schemes. Critics, including government sources, have questioned the effectiveness of these legal challenges, noting that hotel contracts are managed by the Home Office and councils have limited authority.