Overview

• Epping Forest District Council has applied for an interim High Court injunction to halt the use of the Bell Hotel for asylum accommodation following weeks of demonstrations.
• Police report at least 18 arrests and eight officers injured as protests and counter-protests continue at multiple hotel sites across England.
• Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch visited Epping and proposed housing asylum seekers in policing camps instead of local hotels, signaling a shift in party policy.
• Over 200 charities, unions and refugee groups led by Together With Refugees have published an open letter denouncing anti-migrant demonstrations and urging political unity against racism.
• The Home Office has launched a UK-France “one in, one out” returns pilot and begun relocating asylum seekers as part of its commitment to end hotel use by Parliament’s close.