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The decision was a temporary reprieve for the government but will intensify a political battle over how Britain should house tens of thousands of asylum seekers.
Aug. 29, 2025, 9:33 a.m. ET
A British court ruled on Friday that the government could continue to house asylum seekers in a hotel in Epping, northeast of London, reversing a previous decision in a case that has come to symbolize the polarizing debate over immigration in Britain.
While the ruling will be welcomed by the Labour government of Keir Starmer, it will not solve the long-term dilemma over how to accommodate asylum seekers waiting for decisions on their cases, the number of which stood at almost 91,000 in June.
Under British law, the government must provide accommodation for asylum applicants who would otherwise be homeless and who are mostly barred from working. The backlog of asylum claims rose sharply before Labour won power in last year’s election because small-boat crossings of the English Channel had risen and decision making had slowed under the previous Conservative government.
Hotels, which were previously only used for asylum seekers in emergencies, were increasingly employed as “contingency accommodation” during the Covid-19 pandemic. They now house 32,000 asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.
This month, a judge at the High Court in London granted a temporary injunction ordering government contractors to move asylum seekers out of the hotel in Epping, the Bell, which is one of more than 200 hotels currently in use. The Bell had become the subject of sometimes violent protests after an asylum seeker staying there was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
