Overview

• The Court of Appeal overturned a High Court injunction, allowing 138 asylum seekers to remain at Epping’s Bell Hotel, with a full planning hearing due in October as Epping Forest Council considers a Supreme Court bid.
• Five people were arrested in west London after masked men tried to enter the Crowne Plaza near Heathrow, with two officers sustaining minor injuries, police said.
• Essex Police made three arrests outside the Bell Hotel on Friday; two men have been charged as forces deploy dispersal powers and, in Epping, a Section 60AA order to require removal of face coverings.
• Protests and counter-protests were reported in locations including London, Epping, Falkirk, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Gloucester, Bournemouth, Oldham and Long Eaton, with officers separating opposing groups to limit disorder.
• At least 13 councils are preparing planning-based legal action against hotel use, while the Home Office reiterates a pledge to end hotels by 2029 as refugee groups press for faster alternatives to avoid recurring flashpoints.