Political correspondent
Getty ImagesThe High Court judgment granting a temporary court injunction to prevent asylum seekers from being housed at a hotel in Epping will be a political and practical headache for the government.
Practically, the Home Office has less than a month to find alternative accommodation for the asylum seekers housed at Epping’s Bell Hotel.
The hope – though perhaps not the expectation – is that Tuesday’s judgement doesn’t set a precedent.
Epping council has to return to court in the autumn and it is possible the temporary ban on housing asylum seekers will not be made permanent.
But the Home Office’s lawyers have acknowledged that this is more than a local difficulty on the outskirts of Greater London.
They have said that the decision could “substantially impact” the government’s ability to house asylum seekers in hotels across the UK.
The use of hotels has halved from 402 at their peak to 210 now but some contracts are in place until 2029, and pressure will grow on ministers to find alternative accommodation at a greater pace than envisaged.
And although the number of asylum seekers in hotels fell by 6,000 in the first three months of the year, 32,000 remain.
But this practical re-housing headache could escalate into a political migraine.
The Home Office lawyers had suggested preventing the use of the Epping hotel “runs the risk of acting as an impetus for further violent protests”.
The Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has praised what he described as the bravery of the local community and expressed his hope that Epping would provide inspiration to others across the country.
He certainly is not advocating violent demonstrations but even a profusion of peaceful protests elsewhere would still require an increase in public-order policing.
There are concerns in government that this, in turn, could draw resources away from other crime fighting priorities.
And Mr Farage’s colleague Richard Tice has said Reform-run councils will urgently explore taking legal action similar to Epping
The shadow home secretary Chris Philp said he would welcome other councils following Conservative-controlled Epping’s lead.
Broxbourne council in Hertfordshire, also Conservative controlled, has said it will be doing just that.
There is a wider political cost to the government too.
While asylum seekers were housed in Epping’s Bell Hotel under the last Conservative government – although moved out in 2024 – the publicity around the legal challenge has enabled opposition politicians to focus on the government’s record on immigration and asylum.
The government has pledged to no longer use hotels by the end of this parliament, but questions are now being raised about whether they are proceeding quickly enough, and whether they are doing enough to prevent asylum seekers arriving by irregular routes in the first place.
And all this maintains the spotlight on what is a politically toxic topic for ministers.
