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(IMAGE: Israeli tanks deployed along the Israel-Gaza border in southern Israel, 19 August 2025. / CREDIT: Photo by ATEF SAFADI/EPA/Shutterstock (15447793c))
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Metro
16 minutes ago
- Metro
What happens next after asylum seeker hotel in Epping closes?
Protesters wave flags outside the Bell Hotel in Epping after yesterday's injunction order (Picture: Jacqueline Lawrie/LNP) There has been no shortage of headlines about asylum seekers in the UK over the summer, and a major court decision yesterday ensured that won't change soon. Epping Forest District Council in Essex was granted a temporary injunction by the High Court, blocking the town's Bell Hotel from housing asylum seekers. This has the potential to explode into a major issue for the government. According to the Home Office, around 210 hotels are being used to accommodate people who arrived in the UK illegally and claimed asylum. They are staying there until officials determine if their claim is valid and they can be considered a refugee from a country where they would be unsafe. If other councils across the country successfully take the same route as Epping – as many are floating – then the tens of thousands of people in those hotels may have to be housed elsewhere. And wherever they end up, the spotlight on them will arguably be more intense than it ever has been. Counter-demonstrators marching in Epping (Picture: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock) That's because high-profile politicians including Reform leader Nigel Farage and Tory Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick have been loudly raising concerns about the supposed risk 'young undocumented males' pose to communities. Want to know more about the government and how their policies affect you? Hello, I'm Craig Munro and I'm Metro's man in Westminster. Every Wednesday, I write our Alright, Gov? newsletter with insights from behind the scenes in the Houses of Parliament – and how the decisions made there will end up affecting you. Political Reporter Craig Munro on Downing Street In this week's newsletter I spoke about: JD Vance's trip around the UK, Friday's Russia-Ukraine summit, the rollout of police vans with facial recognition and a lot more. Click here to sign up Such remarks were criticised by more than 100 women's organisations yesterday in a letter saying they reinforce the 'damaging myth that the greatest risk of gender-based violence comes from strangers'. Who runs Epping Council and why did they challenge the use of the hotel? Epping Forest District Council is run by the Conservatives. The local authority's legal challenge came about as the town became the focus of demonstrations against the housing of asylum seekers in hotels. In the case of Epping, protests erupted after a man living at the Bell Hotel was charged with sexual assault, inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and harassment without violence. Hadush Kebatu denies the charges. Last week, a second man living at the hotel – Mohammed Sharwarq – was charged with sexual assault, common assault and assault by beating. He also denies the charges. Amid the protests, the council voted unanimously to call on the government to close the Bell Hotel. The Bell Hotel has taken centre stage in a national debate over illegal immigration (Picture: Jacqueline Lawrie/LNP) Council leader Chris Whitbread said: 'I am concerned that our residents' peaceful protests are being infiltrated on the extremes of politics.' However, the successful court action ended up hinging on the mundanities of English planning law. The council was able to argue that housing asylum seekers is not a permitted use of the hotel for planning purposes. It's worth noting that the injunction granted yesterday was just a temporary one, and Epping Council will need to return to court later if it wants to make the order permanent. Will other councils follow Epping Council to close asylum seeker hotels? Not long after the decision from the court was announced, other councils around the country said they would take the same approach to get hotels in their area shut down. Broxbourne Council in Hertfordshire was among the first, saying it would 'take legal advice as a matter of urgency' over the use of the Delta Marriott in Cheshunt. More than 50,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Labour came to power (Photo by) The council's Conservative leader Corina Gander has also written to the Home Office looking for assurance no asylum seekers will be moved to Chesham from Epping, which is just eight miles away. Meanwhile, Farage has said the 12 councils controlled by Reform UK will 'do everything in their power to follow Epping's lead'. There's no guarantee the same result would happen everywhere, though, due to the complexities of England's planning laws and local government structures. What has the government said about the Bell Hotel closure? Straight after the judgement, border security minister Dame Angela Eagle said the government would 'continue working with local authorities and communities to address legitimate concerns' around the hotels. In an appearance on Good Morning Britain today, security minister Dan Jarvis said the government had 'never believed that hotels are an appropriate accommodation arrangement for asylum seekers'. Asked where the people who were staying in the Bell Hotel may be moved, he said the Home Office was considering a 'range of contingency options' but declined to be any more specific. Yesterday's judgement poses a headache for Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (Picture: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images) The options are limited. Asylum seekers are only being housed in hotels at the moment because there aren't many other places for them to live while their claims are processed. As of last month, an extra 400 places are being prepared at RAF Wethersfield in Essex to house male asylum seekers. But with the climate around immigration as tense as it is, it's not clear if any answer could be the right one. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Building completely destroyed after major fire tears through it in town centre Arrow MORE: What I Own: We sold our business and bought our £1,160,000 Essex six-bed Arrow MORE: RAF jets alerted to escort plane after 'sonic boom'
Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
European leaders surround Trump's desk 'like school children'
A photograph of European leaders surrounding Donald Trump's desk 'like school children' during Monday's Ukraine peace talks has gone viral, with critics pointing out that it neatly encapsulates US-European power dynamics. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joined French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb around the Resolute Desk on Monday. They were flanked by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen , NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with Trump's staff looking on in the background. 'A historic day at the White House as European leaders joined President Trump in the Oval Office,' the White House said, sharing the photo on X, in a post on Tuesday. European leaders had gathered in Washington a day prior to vouch for Ukraine and plead with Trump to back a motion to offer Kyiv concrete security guarantees in the event of a peace deal with Russia. American commentator and YouTuber Benny Johnson posted the picture on X and wrote: 'The single most powerful image of 2025: President Trump at the Resolute Desk with world leaders crowding around him, just listening. Nothing else comes close.' Zelensky returned to the Oval Office on Monday for the first time since February - the disastrous summit in which he was asked to leave after being challenged by U.S. Vice President JD Vance on his gratitude for continued American support. This time, the Ukrainian premier insisted upon expressing his thanks several times and deftly navigated the American press with humour before heading for talks with Trump and his European counterparts. Ashok Swain, a Swedish professor of peace and conflict research, said: 'Europe's 'most powerful' leaders sat like obedient pupils as Donald Trump held court in the Oval Office. Does this look Europe to Europeans?' One user said: 'All of them came to support Zelensky and not Trump.' Another said: 'We are watching history being made right in front of our eyes. Look at all the world leaders in the Oval Office with all eyes on Trump.' A third, joking about Trump and the US's authority, said: 'He called them over the weekend and said, 'Be here on Monday.' They all showed up. America is back.' European leaders have been trying to steer Trump towards a lasting ceasefire palatable to Ukraine and the continent since he took office. It was Italy's Giorgia Meloni who first raised the idea that non-parties to the war could offer Ukraine security guarantees resembling NATO's Article 5 pledge of collective defence, even if Trump is unwilling to welcome Kyiv into the alliance. Trump's administration in recent days appears to have warmed to the idea, though has ruled out putting U.S. boots on the ground as part of a major peacekeeping force. Ahead of Monday's talks in Washington with Zelensky, which followed Trump's historic summit with Putin in Alaska, Secretary of State Marco Rubio made clear it was inviting European leaders as friends and allies, not as 'backup' against bullying. Zelensky was harangued by Trump and his Vice President during their meeting in February, but Monday's talks appeared to go better. Still, neither the meeting with Putin nor Zelensky has yet yielded definitive progress towards ending the war. Trump is trying to steer Putin and Zelenskyy toward a settlement more than three years after Russia invaded its neighbor, but there are major obstacles. They include Ukraine's demands for Western-backed military assurances to ensure Russia won't mount another invasion in coming years. Kyiv's European allies are looking to set up a force that could backstop any peace agreement, and a coalition of 30 countries, including European nations, Japan and Australia, have signed up to support the initiative. The viral photos of European leaders in the White House prompted comparison to a 2018 photo of leaders roused and on their feet around Donald Trump - indicative, some said, of the changing state of international affairs. In that picture, former German Chancellor Merkel, flanked by other world leaders, is seen standing over Trump, who is seated with his arms crossed. After Monday's meeting, Trump announced that plans were underway for a trilateral meeting involving himself, Zelensky, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, although Moscow's response remained cautious. Zelensky expressed optimism and gratitude, while European leaders reiterated that no serious peace could proceed without Russia halting hostilities. Discussions also touched on a proposed $90 billion weapons package for Ukraine.
Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
Russia bars entry to 21 people it says spread disinformation against it in UK media
MOSCOW, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday it was barring entry to 21 individuals it accused of working with "the destructive British media" to promote anti-Russian narratives. The list includes journalists, experts and members of NGOs. Their names were added to those of many hundreds of other Western nationals whom Russia has placed on its "stop list" since the start of the war in Ukraine. Britain on Wednesday said it was imposing new sanctions on cryptocurrency networks it said were exploited by Russia.
