𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

One of the judges that threw a lifeline to Sir Keir Starmer by ruling that asylum seekers can stay at the Bell Hotel in Epping is a Labour activist, it has emerged. Lord Justice Bean, who delivered the ruling today, is a member of the the Society for Labour Laywers.

He led a panel that decided a temporary injunction preventing asylum seekers being housed at the Bell Hotel in Epping will be overturned. It meant the Home Office and Somani Hotels, which owns the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, have successfully challenged a High Court ruling that would have forced 138 asylum seekers at the hotel to be removed by September 12 – saving Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper from a nightmare. Other councils across the country were set to demand injunctions of their own.

The Labour link was revealed by Sky News Chief Political Correspondent Jon Craig. He said as part of a TV report: “I will make no comment about this but just gently point out – Lord Justice Bean is a leading figure in the Society for Labour Laywers. He was one of the founding members of the Matrix Chambers – the others included Cherie Blair – wife of the former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Lord Hermer, the current Attorney General.

“Judge Justice Stephen Eyre, who gave the original high court decision, was a Conservative parliamentary candidate four times. We will see if any of the politicians make anything of their political allegiances.”

Today’s Court of Appeal ruling means that asylum seekers are likely to stay at the hotel, at least for now, and other local authorities are less likely to press ahead with attempts to get their own injunctions – a move which threatened to throw the Government’s asylum policy into chaos. Lord Justice Bean, sitting with Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb, handed down a judgment this afternoon.

The Court of Appeal today issued its ruling following an earlier High Court decision last week, which granted Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) an interim injunction demanding the removal of asylum seekers. The council had accused Somani Hotels of breaching planning rules by using the Bell as accommodation for asylum seekers.

Reading a summary of the ruling today, Lord Justice Bean said the High Court decision demanding the removal of asylum seekers was flawed. He said: “We conclude that the judge made a number of errors of principle, which undermine his decision.”

He said the High Court had granted the injunction partly to reduce the risk of protests at the hotel – but this could actually increase the risk of disorder in the future, said Lord Justice Bean.

In another win for the Home Office, Lord Justice Bean also said he was granting the Home Secretary permission to appeal against a ruling that she could not be a party in a future court hearing on the issue.

In a victory for Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, he said the Home Office can intervene in the case. Reading a summary of the decision, Lord Justice Bean said the Home Office had a “constitutional role relating to public safety” and was affected by the issues.

Other councils, including Labour-run authorities, had announced their intention to seek legal advice over whether they could achieve similar injunctions for hotels in their areas.

Ms Badenoch said: “Local communities should not pay the price for Labour’s total failure on illegal immigration.

“Keir Starmer has shown that he puts the rights of illegal immigrants above the rights of British people who just want to feel safe in their towns and communities.

“This ruling is a setback, but it is not the end. I say to Conservative councils seeking similar injunctions against asylum hotels – KEEP GOING! Every case has different circumstances, and I know good Conservative councils will keep fighting for residents, so we will keep working with them every step of the way.

“We will be writing to all Conservative councillors with further advice following this judgment and setting out our open offer to work with councils and communities to take action. We will also continue to work closely with Epping Council as they consider their next steps.”