Essex politicians call for meeting with Home Secretary over asylum-seeker hotel
Read more Support Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
Five local political leaders have urged the Home Secretary to make a hotel housing asylum seekers in Essex a 'priority for urgent closure', citing community tensions that have put a strain on policing.
The signatories have requested a meeting with Yvette Cooper to discuss the continued use of The Bell Hotel in Epping to house migrants.
Essex Police said 14 people have been charged in connection with protests at the site and there have been 23 arrests.
Multiple demonstrations have been held outside The Bell Hotel since July 13 after an asylum-seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, who was charged with sexual assault, denies the charges.
He is due to stand trial in August.
Concerns about the use of The Bell Hotel to house asylum-seekers have been expressed in an open letter sent to the Home Secretary on Wednesday.
The signatories are: Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex; Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest; Alex Burghart, MP for Brentwood and Ongar; Cllr Christopher Whitbread, Leader of Epping Forest District Council and Cllr Kevin Bentley, Leader of Essex County Council.
In the letter, the politicians argue that housing migrants at the site is 'proving to be entirely unsuitable and… placing an unsustainable strain on police resources'.
They added that this is 'creating significant community tension, and leading to public disorder that is unacceptable to our residents and deeply concerning for the safety of all involved'.
The letter continued that 'large-scale protests and counter-protests' on several days saw 'more than 2,000 people attending across all dates'.
'During these events, eight Essex Police officers have been injured — one requiring hospitalisation after being struck in the face with a bottle,' the letter said.
'Officers from neighbouring forces have been brought in to support our local resources.
'This simply cannot continue.
'While we respect the public's right to peaceful protest, the level of violence now seen on Epping's streets is alarming.'
They say that the police deployments at the hotel are 'putting our ability to maintain public safety at risk'.
'We support the Home Office's wider objective of reducing reliance on hotels and are keen to work with you,' the letter said.
'However, we urge you to accelerate this process and make The Bell Hotel in Epping a priority for urgent closure.
'It is vital that this location be reconsidered considering the operational realities on the ground.
'We urge that The Bell Hotel be made a priority for urgent decommissioning.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
27 minutes ago
- Wales Online
Good Morning Britain host abruptly exits as Yvette Cooper appears on ITV show
Good Morning Britain host abruptly exits as Yvette Cooper appears on ITV show Kate Garraway was forced to interview Home Secretary Yvette Cooper alone on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday as her co-host made an abrupt exit Yvette Cooper on Good Morning Britain (Image: ITV) A Good Morning Britain presenter was notably absent as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper joined the programme on Tuesday. Ed Balls was nowhere to be seen when the ITV morning show returned from a break, leaving his co-host Kate Garraway to handle the interview solo. TV host Kate didn't miss a beat as she launched into the discussion, sidestepping any mention of her missing colleague. She said: "Now, the first illegal migrants that will be returned to France under the 'one in, one out' deal are set to be detained within days, but critics say it will barely scratch the surface when 25,000 people have crossed the Channel so far this year." She continued: "The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, joins us now. Can you just clear up when this is coming in? I think the Home Office told us yesterday it was today, but I believe on another broadcaster, you said it was actually tomorrow. Can we just clarify that quickly, first of all?" Kate Garraway was forced to do the interview alone (Image: ITV) Strictly Come Dancing pro fires warning to Craig Revel Horwood as he considers huge move READ MORE: ITV Good Morning Britain host congratulates star after issuing baby announcement READ MORE: Yvette confirmed that Kate's information was accurate, stating that the treaty is being laid today and the immigration rules supporting it, reports the Express. "That means, in practice, they come into force tomorrow and that means that we can start detaining people within a matter of days," Yvette explained. However, Kate highlighted that the figures are far from promising, with a mere 50 individuals per week being returned. She remarked: "It is a proverbial drop in the ocean and no deterrent at all." Yvette explained that the intention is for the numbers to start modestly and then increase, as this is "the nature of it being a new deal". Yet Kate was dissatisfied with this response, interrupting to seek further clarification. She probed: "Just for clarity on the numbers, when you say start lower, do you mean lower than 50 and build to 50? Or do you mean start at 50 and build to something more significant?" The politician hesitated and evaded a direct answer, stating: "Erm... start lower than where they will eventually end up. We have not set any numbers." Kate couldn't help but chuckle at the vague reply, commenting: "That sounds like a politician's answer!" Ed Balls exited the ITV show before Yvette's interview Ed's absence during the interview with Yvette, to whom he is married, follows previous criticism for conducting interviews with his wife on air. Viewers of Good Morning Britain had expressed concerns about potential bias during such segments. Following the interview, the programme transitioned to a break, after which Ed returned to his regular presenting role. Kate addressed his earlier departure by saying: "Ed, of course, removed himself during our interview with the Home Secretary because he is married to her." Article continues below Viewers at home didn't miss the opportunity to make light of the situation. One viewer quipped on X/Twitter: "Ed's popped off for a cuppa to make it look like he's not Yvette's husband #gmb." Another viewer quipped: "Ed you can come from under the desk now #gmb," while a third commented: " #GMB lovely cosy interview with Ed's wife the Home Secretary this morning. Well done Kate, they're probably having dinner together tonight." Good Morning Britain airs on weekdays at 6am on ITV1
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
PM and Cooper pile pressure on police over revealing suspects' details as transparency row deepens
Sir Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper have piled pressure on the police to reveal more details relating to suspects amid a growing row over an alleged lack of transparency around investigations. The prime minister and home secretary said all authorities should be 'as transparent as possible' about those who have been charged with crimes such as rape and sexual assault, in comments that will be seen at odds with the stance of many police forces. It comes after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said police forces should release information including immigration status about people who are charged with crimes, claiming Warwickshire Police have been part of a 'cover-up' oover details of an alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton in July. Asked about the demands on Monday, the prime minister's official spokesperson said: 'All authorities, from the police to central government, should be as transparent as possible for handling these cases'. The home secretary doubled down on the PM's comments on Tuesday morning, saying police should routinely reveal the nationality and asylum status of crimnial suspects. She said she is working with the College of Policing to develop new guidance to promote transparency. It came after government sources told The Times that increased transparency would help to 'rebuild public trust', amid flaring tensions over the government's handling of the migrant crisis. 'We do want to see more transparency in cases. We think local people do need to have more information', Ms Cooper told BBC Breakfast. 'It is an operational decision about how much information can be revealed in the middle of a live investigation, but we do want to see greater transparency. 'That's why we've asked the Law Commission to accelerate its review into what the rules are around what information can be released and when… and we're also working with the College of Policing on strengthening and changing their guidance as well'. The row comes after two men, reported as being Afghan asylum seekers, were charged in relation to the alleged rape in Nuneaton. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was charged with rape last week in relation to the alleged incident. Meanwhile, Mohammad Kabir, also 23, was charged with kidnap and strangulation in the same investigation. Warwickshire Police have not released the immigration status of the two suspects and defended its decision not to do so, adding: 'When someone is charged with an offence, we follow national guidance. This does not include sharing ethnicity or immigration status.' Asked at a press conference on Monday whether the police should release the names, addresses and immigration status of people after they have been charged with an offence, Mr Farage said: 'What caused unrest on our streets after Southport last year was us not being told the status of the attacker. That led to crazy conspiracy theories spreading online.' George Finch, the 19-year-old leader of Warwickshire County Council, told Monday's press conference that he was 'begging' for information about the two to be released in the wake of the charges. Mr Finch also said he had written a letter to Ms Cooper and the chief constable of Warwickshire Police which called for the immediate release of the immigration status of the two. In his letter to the home secretary, published on X on Sunday, Mr Finch claimed that a 'cover-up' of immigration status 'risks public disorder breaking out on the streets of Warwickshire'. There have been escalating protests across the UK opposing the use of hotels to house asylum seekers, with a number of people arrested after a protest outside a hotel in Canary Wharf in London on Sunday. Protesters jeered at people going in and out of the hotel, and officers were forced to step in after flares were let off in the crowd, the Metropolitan Police said. A group of people outside the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf were 'harassing occupants and staff', trying to prevent people make deliveries, as well as trying to 'breach the fencing and access the hotel', a statement from the force said.
The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
Home Secretary calls for more transparency from police over suspects
Police should reveal more information about suspects, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said in response to allegations the authorities have tried to 'cover up' alleged offences by asylum seekers. She said guidance to police was already being examined but it was an 'operational decision' for forces and the Crown Prosecution Service over what information to release. The College of Policing said transparency is 'essential to prevent misinformation'. The issue has been the subject of fierce debate in a series of high-profile cases, including recently over the charging of two men – reported to be Afghan asylum seekers – over the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton. The Home Secretary said 'we do think more transparency is needed' in the information given by police. She said: 'We do think the guidance needs to change and we have also already, about six months ago, we asked the Law Commission to look at this and to accelerate their review around some of the contempt of court issues, that's about what information can be released when there's a trial pending.' She referred to a case where Iranian nationals were charged with spying offences in May and the Crown Prosecution Service revealed three of them had arrived either on small boats or a lorry. She told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'It is an operational decision for the police and Crown Prosecution Service on an individual case, what and when information can be revealed in a live investigation. 'However, we do think that the guidance needs to change, the College of Policing is already looking at this, and Home Office officials are working with the College of Policing.' A College of Policing spokesman said: 'Media relations guidance for police is already under review and is looking at how forces can best balance their obligations under contempt of court legislation with their responsibility to prevent disorder. 'Police forces make challenging and complex decisions on a case-by-case basis and transparency is essential to prevent misinformation and reassure the public.' The Southport atrocity committed by Axel Rudakubana in July last year was also marked by a focus on the suspect's ethnicity and immigration status – with false rumours spreading online that he was a Muslim asylum seeker, fuelling the riots seen in the aftermath of the stabbings. The same force, Merseyside Police, were more transparent when a car drove into crowds during Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade, saying they had arrested a 'white British man'. Emily Spurrell, Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner, told Today in Rudakubana's case the situation was complicated because he was under 18 when he was arrested, which created 'huge challenges' about what could be said. She said: 'I think the police will always aim to be as transparent as possible, but they are limited because of their need to protect the criminal justice process.' She acknowledged that 'we live in a very different world now' to when some of the guidance was first drafted as rumours could spread quickly online and there were some 'bad actors who deliberately circulate false information to serve a particular agenda'. The Nuneaton case has led to fresh pressure on police over the information they make public. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was arrested on July 26 and charged the next day with rape, according to Warwickshire Police. He appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court last Monday and has been remanded in custody. Mohammad Kabir, 23, was arrested in Nuneaton on Thursday and charged with kidnap, strangulation and aiding and abetting rape of a girl under 13, the force added. He appeared at Coventry Magistrates' Court on Saturday and has been remanded in custody. Warwickshire Police did not deny a Mail On Sunday report which said Mulakhil and Kabir are asylum seekers. Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage and Warwickshire Council leader George Finch claimed there had been a 'cover-up' in the case. Mr Farage said it was a 'cover-up that in many ways is reminiscent of what happened after the Southport killings last year'. In a letter to the Home Secretary, Mr Finch claimed that a 'cover-up' of immigration status 'risks public disorder breaking out on the streets of Warwickshire'.
