Overview

• Security minister Dan Jarvis said the government will seek permission to intervene and appeal the High Court injunction that blocks use of the Bell Hotel for asylum accommodation.
• Dozens of demonstrations and counter-protests are expected outside hotels over the Bank Holiday weekend, with Stand Up To Racism preparing responses and organisers targeting sites in multiple towns and cities.
• New Home Office figures show 32,059 asylum seekers were in hotels at the end of June, up 8% on a year earlier but well below the September 2023 peak of about 56,000.
• Councils across party lines, including Tamworth, Wirral, Broxbourne, Hillingdon, Dudley, East Lindsey, and Reigate and Banstead, are examining Epping-style planning challenges to restrict hotel use.
• Asylum applications hit a record 111,084 in the year to June, with small-boat arrivals accounting for 39% of claims, intensifying pressure on accommodation and processing.