\n<\/p>\n
The leader of Epping Forest district council<\/strong> has called for calm after the court of appeal<\/strong> ruled asylum seekers can stay at the Bell hotel<\/strong> in Essex<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Councillor Chris Whitbread<\/strong> told Times Radio:<\/p>\n I call for calm. There\u2019s been peaceful protests and there\u2019s been non peaceful protests outside the hotel.<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n We saw yesterday the government say that asylum seekers have more rights than my residents. I\u2019m really cross with this ruling. Obviously we\u2019ll now reflect on where we are.<\/p>\n Obviously we\u2019re still going to court in October to go for a final injunction and we will be pushing hard to make sure that\u2019s successful, but we will do everything we can still.<\/p>\n This is an awful position for the town \u2026 I\u2019m really concerned for the future of the town at the moment.<\/p>\n <\/span>Councillor Ken Williamson from Epping Forest district council speaks to the media outside the high court in London after Friday\u2019s ruling.<\/span> Photograph: Andy Rain\/EPA<\/p>\n Speaking outside the London court after the ruling, Ken Williamson<\/strong>, member of cabinet for Epping Forest district council said:<\/p>\n We understand government faces a dilemma, but that should not be at the expense of local communities.<\/p>\n Planning law may seem dull, it might seem boring, but it goes to the heart of the relationship between local communities and good government. It enshrines the rights of local people to have a say within their own communities, and it should not be set aside lightly. The government can still listen.<\/p>\n It needs to understand and take responsibility for the events that have taken place in Epping over the past six weeks, for the trauma and disruption brought upon our community.<\/p>\n The council could still be granted an injunction after a full hearing of the legal claim, which is due to be heard in October.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a010.50 EDT<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n <\/span>Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Deputy PM Angela Rayner should face an ethics inquiry over her tax affairs, the Conservatives said.<\/p>\n The Telegraph newspaper claimed Rayner, who is also the Housing Secretary, saved \u00a340,000 in stamp duty on a second home she bought in Hove for \u00a3800,000.<\/p>\n This was because she removed her name from the deed to a family property in Greater Manchester, the newspaper reported.<\/p>\n However, Rayner also previously suggested the Greater Manchester home remained her primary residence, according to the Telegraph, saving some \u00a32,000 in council tax on her grace and favour home in central London at Admiralty House.<\/p>\n The Conservatives have referred Rayner to the Prime Minister\u2019s independent adviser on ministers\u2019 interests as a result of the conflicting reports.<\/p>\n The Tories have also written to Tameside council, the authority that covers her Greater Manchester home, asking the authority to strike her from the electoral register if the property is no longer her primary residence.<\/p>\n A Cabinet Office spokesman said Rayner \u201chas followed advice on the allocation of her official residence at all times\u201d.<\/p>\n A statement provided by the Deputy Prime Minister\u2019s team to the Telegraph said: \u201cThe Deputy Prime Minister paid the relevant duty owing on the purchase of the Hove property in line with relevant requirements and entirely properly.<\/p>\n \u201cAny suggestion otherwise is entirely without basis.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/span>Police officers look on as protesters attend an anti-immigration demonstration in Cheshunt.<\/span> Photograph: Jack Taylor\/ReutersShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.50 EDT<\/p>\n Essex police said it was putting a section 60AA order in place in Epping, which gives police the power to ask anyone to remove an item such as a mask that is being used to conceal identity.<\/p>\n The order will be in place for 24 hours, the force said.<\/p>\n In a post on Facebook, Essex police said: \u201cThroughout the evening, we have monitored a protest in Cheshunt and we now believe a group of people present there are planning to travel to Epping.<\/p>\n \u201cA number of people involved in that group have been seen wearing facemasks and balaclavas.\u201d<\/p>\n Assistant chief constable Glen Pavelin said: \u201cWe will always seek to facilitate peaceful protest, for all groups.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the threat of antisocial behaviour and criminality by people attempting to conceal their identity steps outside of the reasonableness of protest, and we have a duty to protect our community.<\/p>\n \u201cMy officers will be fair and engaging, but they will be firm in how they deal with anyone who is asked to remove a face covering and refuses.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone who does not will face arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.07 EDT<\/p>\n <\/span>Demonstrators in Hertfordshire.<\/span> Photograph: Jack Taylor\/ReutersShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.05 EDT<\/p>\n <\/span>Protesters outside the Delta Hotel in Cheshunt.<\/span> Photograph: Jack Taylor\/ReutersShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.05 EDT<\/p>\n In nearby Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, a video posted on YouTube showed dozens of demonstrators behind barriers near the Delta Marriott hotel, which has also been used to house asylum seekers.<\/p>\n Police stood in front of the barriers and some roads were closed with counter-protesters from Stand Up To Racism also in attendance.<\/p>\n At one point, protesters appeared to clash with officers.<\/p>\n <\/span>Protesters attend an anti-immigration demonstration in Cheshunt.<\/span> Photograph: Jack Taylor\/ReutersShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.04 EDT<\/p>\n Away from the ruling for a moment, suspended Labour MSP Colin Smyth<\/strong> has denied allegations that he placed a secret camera in toilets inside the Scottish Parliament.<\/p>\n The Press Association understands that Smyth has been charged by the police in relation to the allegation, which was first reported in the Daily Record.<\/p>\n The South Scotland MSP was arrested on 5 August and charged with a separate offence of possession of indecent images, prompting his suspension from Scottish Labour.<\/p>\n His Holyrood pass was deactivated on Thursday.<\/p>\n On Friday, Smyth said he was \u201cfully co-operating\u201d with the investigation but said the decision by the police to release further information and his home address had been \u201cdevastating\u201d.<\/p>\n He said:<\/p>\n This allegation has come as an utter shock and one I strongly refute.<\/p>\n For legal reasons, I can\u2019t respond to specific matters or speculation, and I appreciate there is a process to go through which I am, of course, fully co-operating with. But I sincerely hope it can be concluded quickly and fairly.<\/p>\n The speculation, and the recent decision by the police to publicly release details of their ongoing inquiries along with my home address has been devastating and has taken a serious toll on my health.<\/p>\n After my address was published with no warning to my family, I felt I had no choice but to move away to protect them. That has also meant losing the local NHS critical support I had been receiving for the past few weeks, making an already difficult time even more distressing.<\/p>\n I would therefore ask that the privacy of myself, but above all my family and friends, is respected while this matter is resolved. Having this hanging over them is especially overwhelming.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Responding to the ruling, Steve Smith, chief executive of refugee charity Care4Calais<\/strong>, told the BBC it \u201cmade it clear that violent protest, and in many cases overt racism, is not a fast-track route for the far right to attack the rights of people seeking sanctuary in this country\u201d.<\/p>\n Liberal Democrat home affairs spokeswoman, Lisa Smart,<\/strong> told the broadcaster that Labour should be \u201cspeeding up asylum processing to bring down the backlog and end hotel use once and for all\u201d.<\/p>\n And border security and asylum minister Dame Angela Eagle<\/strong> said the government \u201cwill stop using hotels, which aren\u2019t a sustainable solution, by the end of this parliament\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis judgement assists us by allowing us to do that in a planned and orderly fashion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all want the same thing,\u201d she added, \u201cwhich is to get out of asylum hotels\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.19 EDT<\/p>\n Aletha Adu<\/span><\/p>\n Protesters were already gathering outside the Bell hotel by Friday evening with St George and union flags waving. This court ruling was never going to end as a quiet legal moment.<\/p>\n For the Home Office, the court of appeal\u2019s decision was a practical win. If the ruling had gone the other way the government would have been forced to rehouse 138 asylum seekers in a matter of days, opening the floodgates to similar legal challenges from other councils. Since there is scant alternative accommodation available, this ruling buys the government time.<\/p>\n Government insiders say that by the end of the year they expect at least five more hotels housing asylum seekers to close, with more to follow in the new year. If the closures proceed, the ruling means they still have time to deliver their promise of shutting all the hotels down \u201cin a controlled and orderly way\u201d by 2029.<\/p>\n But political tensions have, of course, been reignited. Nigel Farage immediately jumped on the moment, accusing the government of \u201cusing the law against the people of Epping\u201d. He said \u201cillegal migrants now have more rights than the people of Essex\u201d and promised Reform UK would \u201cput an end to this\u201d. This is the kind of high-emotion, high-visibility moment Farage thrives on and a story that plays into his hands.<\/p>\n Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, also piled in, telling supporters on X: \u201cJudges side with illegal migrants against British people. ECHR used by judges to overrule planning law, democratic protests and the safety of Epping residents.\u201d<\/p>\n The government remains stuck in the same political fight \u2013 trying to stave off challenges from the right while at the same time getting on with the job of ensuring there is a functioning political project that can communicate its wins.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.10 EDT<\/p>\n Angela Eagle, the border security and asylum minister, said: \u201cNobody wants to close the Bell hotel and all other asylum hotels more than me.\u201d<\/p>\n She reiterated the government\u2019s pledge to do this by 2029.<\/p>\n Asked what her message is for those who say the fight\u2019s not over, she responded: \u201cI think we all want the same thing \u2013 which is to get out of asylum hotels.\u201d<\/p>\n Eagle added: \u201cWe\u2019ve said they\u2019re not sustainable and we\u2019ve inherited a system with huge backlogs,\u201d the BBC reported.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a015.27 EDT<\/p>\n <\/span>A protester outside the Bell hotel after a temporary injunction that would have blocked asylum seekers from being housed there.<\/span> Photograph: Jonathan Brady\/PAShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.22 EDT<\/p>\n <\/span>Protesters with St George and union flags gather outside the Bell Hotel in Epping on Friday.<\/span> Photograph: Carlos Jasso\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.22 EDT<\/p>\n <\/span>A demonstrator holds up a placard outside the Bell hotel, Essex.<\/span> Photograph: Jack Taylor\/ReutersShare<\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.22 EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Leader of Epping Forest council calls for calm after court of appeal ruling The leader of Epping Forest district council has called for calm after the court of appeal ruled asylum seekers can stay at the Bell hotel in Essex. Councillor Chris Whitbread told Times Radio: I call for calm. There\u2019s been peaceful protests and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18248,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[2917,9428,5360,132,1551,124,3829,571,2460,1952],"class_list":{"0":"post-18247","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"tag-asylum","9":"tag-epping","10":"tag-hotel","11":"tag-live","12":"tag-police","13":"tag-politics","14":"tag-protesters","15":"tag-ruling","16":"tag-travel","17":"tag-warn"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Police issue warning over protesters from Cheshunt planning to travel to Epping<\/h2>\n
MSP denies placing secret camera in Scottish Parliament toilets<\/h2>\n
Analysis: Labour won the legal battle over asylum hotels, but the right is running the story<\/h2>\n