UK Security Minister Dan Jarvis has vowed that the government will “end asylum hotels”, as protests are taking place this weekend in towns across the country.
He acknowledged that the Labour administration needs to meet its 2024 manifesto commitment to close all the hotels housing asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament, but it needed to be done in a “managed and ordered way”.
The latest figures showed there were more than 32,000 asylum seekers in hotels, marking a rise of 8 per cent during the Labour’s first year in office. It is thought there were more than 400 hotels housing asylum seekers open in the summer of 2023, but Labour has said this has since been reduced to fewer than 210. The hotels have been the focus of anti-immigrant protests.
Campaign group Stand Up To Racism held counter-protests outside asylum hotels on Friday, including in Bournemouth, Cardiff and Leeds, with at least another 16 demonstrations expected on Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday afternoon, anti-immigration protesters waving Union flags faced off with anti-racism demonstrators outside the council offices in Portsmouth city centre.
One protester tied a large flag of St George reading “Born in England, Live in England, Die in England” to a balcony.
Stand Up to Racism demonstrators also put up a banner, saying “Refugees Welcome, Celebrate Diversity”.
Police in the southern port city enforced a gap between the two groups as the anti-immigrant group chanted: “Send them home,” and the opposing group chanted: “Refugees are welcome here.”
The government is seeking the right to appeal against a High Court ruling which blocks asylum seekers being housed in the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex.
Asked whether he was “worried about any copycat protests” following the court's decision this week, Mr Jarvis told broadcasters: “We’ve made a very clear commitment that we’re going to close all of the asylum hotels.
“That was a manifesto commitment that we stood on and we will honour.”
In a statement, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We agree with communities across the country that all asylum hotels need to close, including the Bell Hotel, and we are working to do so as swiftly as possible as part of an orderly, planned and sustained programme that avoids simply creating problems for other areas or local councils as a result of piecemeal court decisions or a return to the kind of chaos which led to so many hotels being opened in the first place.”
Epping Forest District Council was granted a temporary injunction on Tuesday that blocked asylum seekers from being housed in the hotel from September 12.
Other councils controlled by Labour, the Conservatives and Reform UK are now investigating whether they could pursue legal challenges against asylum hotels.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The Home Office will seek to appeal against the High Court’s refusal to allow it to intervene in the case, Mr Jarvis said.
A successful appeal would open the way for a wider court challenge of the temporary injunction.
The local authority sought legal action when the hotel became the focus of protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town, which he denies.
Before judgment was handed down in the council case this week, barristers for the Home Office asked to intervene, citing the “substantial impact” caused to Ms Cooper in performing her legal duties to asylum seekers.
They argued that moving asylum seekers in the short period would cause “particular acute difficulties” for the government.
But the bid was dismissed by Mr Justice Eyre who said Home Office involvement was “not necessary”.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “It is completely wrong that the Labour government is taking legal action to keep open the Bell Hotel.
“The government isn’t listening to the public or to the courts.
“Instead of trying to keep illegal immigrants in expensive hotels, the Conservatives would remove all illegal arrivals, put in place a real deterrent and ensure towns like Epping are never put in this position again.”
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Results
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
