A number of livestreams of protests in Bromley, Leeds and Chichester show groups of people gathered in each area.

Protesters can be seen wrapped in British flags, while counter-demonstrators have turned up with placards saying “refugees are welcome here”.

Police are present at all three locations, which appear to be peaceful.

Shadow Minister for Policing and Crime Matt Vickers slams Labour’s legal bid to keep the Bell Hotel open as “utterly disgraceful”.

“Every single illegal immigrant should be immediately deported, not kept in a hotel,” he wrote on X.

Reform MP Lee Anderson has said Labour is putting illegal migrants interests over hard-working Britons.

The Ashfield MP has condemned the Home Office’s bid to appeal the High Court’s decision to refuse Yvette Cooper the right to intervene in the Epping legal case.

“By lodging this legal challenge we know for certain that this Labour Government will always put the interests of illegal migrants over those of the decent-minded British public,” he wrote.

Read Mr Anderson’s full article for the Express here.

People demonstrating against the migrant hotel in Portsmouth are waving large St Georges flags which say “born in England”. Other protesters hold placards saying “save our city”.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said ministers are working to close hotels housing asylum seekers “as swiftly as possible” as part of an “orderly” programme that avoids creating problems for other areas.

“That is the reason for the Home Office appeal in this case, to ensure that going forward, the closure of all hotels can be done in a properly managed way right across the country – without creating problems for other areas and local councils,” she said.

Norfolk Police said in a statement: “Two men, both aged in their 20s, were arrested yesterday evening (Thursday 21 August 2025) following a protest on Barnard Road, Bowthorpe. They were arrested on suspicion of a Section 5 Public Order offence (using threatening or abusive words or behaviour which cause someone to feel harassed, alarmed or distressed).

“One man was seen to be viewing offensive material, and the second man was repeatedly swearing at a member of the public. Both men were taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning, where they remain.

“We can confirm both of those arrested were connected to the hotel and not part of the protest group.”

Responding the Government’s legal bid, Epping Forest District Council’s finance chief Holly Whitbread said the move was “deeply disappointing”.

She said: “I hope that the Court of Appeal will make the right decision in upholding the decision of the High Court.

“It’s not a piecemeal court decision, it’s a decision on a planning point.”

The Conservative councillor added: “The Government keep churning out the line that they’re going to get all the hotels closed by the end of this Parliament. Our community can’t afford to wait another four years.”

Counter-protesters from Stand Up To Racism have turned up in Portsmouth.

Protesters have gathered outside the Guildhall Square in Portsmouth. Images show people flying Union Jack and England flags while carrying placards which say “save our city”.

Stand Up to Racism has planned several counter-protests at almost every site where demonstrations against migrant hotels are being held, including seven on Friday.

These will go ahead outside hotels in cities and towns including Bournemouth, Cardiff, Chichester, and Leeds, with further demonstrations expected on Saturday.

Security Minister Mr Jarvis told broadcasters: “This Government will close all asylum hotels and we will clear up the mess that we inherited from the previous government.

“We’ve made a commitment that we will close all of the asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, but we need to do that in a managed and ordered way.

“And that’s why we’ll appeal this decision.”

Asked whether he was “worried about any copycat protests” following the High Court’s decision this week, he said: “We’ve made a very clear commitment that we’re going to close all of the asylum hotels.

“That was a manifesto commitment that we stood on and we will honour.

“We’re clearing up the legacy that we inherited from the previous government but the closures of these hotels need to be done in an ordered and managed way.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “It is completely wrong that the Labour government is taking legal action to keep open the Bell Hotel. The government isn’t listening to the public or to the courts. Instead of trying to keep illegal immigrants in expensive hotels the Conservatives would immediately deport all illegal arrivals and ensure towns like Epping are never put in this position again.

“In the nine months before the election Conservatives closed 200 hotels. If that had continued there wouldn’t be any asylum hotels now – but instead the number of asylum seekers in hotels have gone up since the election under Labour.

“This problem is being caused because 2025 so far is the worst year ever for illegal immigrants crossing the channel. Most are young men who have paid people smugglers to illegally enter the UK. Labour has lost control of our borders and communities up and down the country are paying the price.”

The Home Office is desperately scrambling to keep The Bell Hotel open for migrants, it has emerged. Ministers on Friday confirmed they confirmed they are appealing the High Court’s decision to refuse Home Secretary Yvette Cooper the right to intervene in the Epping legal case.

Insisting Labour does want to close asylum hotels, Security Minister Dan Jarvis defended the controversial move by saying it must be done “in a managed and ordered way”.

Judge Mr Justice Eyre granted a temporary injunction preventing asylum seekers from being housed in the community in Epping.

The Home Office will seek to appeal against the High Court’s refusal to allow it to intervene in the case of a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Epping, security minister has said.

Dan Jarvis said the Government would appeal against the decision on Friday, which if successful would open the way for a wider appeal against a temporary injunction blocking the Home Office from using the Bell Hotel as asylum accommodation.

The move comes after the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council the temporary injunction on Tuesday that blocked asylum seekers from being housed in the hotel from September 12.

The local authority had sought legal action after the accommodation site had been at the centre of protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker was charged with trying to kiss a 14-year-old girl, which he denies.

Before judgment was handed down on Tuesday, barristers for the Home Office asked to intervene in the case, citing the “substantial impact” caused to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, in performing her legal duties to asylum seekers.

They argued moving asylum seekers in the short period would cause “particular acute difficulties” for the Government, but their bid was dismissed.

Since the injunction was granted, councils across the country controlled by Labour, the Conservatives and Reform UK are investigating whether they could also pursue legal challenges against asylum hotels.

A wave of protests outside hotels used to temporarily house asylum seekers is expected in the coming days.

Keir Starmer is facing growing pressure from his own MPs for a Rwanda-style deportation scheme to deter Channel migrant crossings.

The Prime Minister scrapped the UK’s deal with Kigali on his first day in office, branding it a “gimmick”.

But a surge in Channel crossings has prompted calls for Sir Keir to detain and deport “every small boat arrival” to a third-country if they cannot be sent home.

Labour’s Steve Yemm said this could lead to a “US-style collapse in numbers”.

Some local councils are considering legal action over the housing of asylum seekers in hotels, while counter-protests led by anti-racism groups are being scheduled this week to confront anti-migration demonstrations across the country.

This comes following a High Court ruling that granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction to block the Home Office from housing migrants at The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. Now, Hillingdon Council has become the latest council to say it is reviewing whether it too can take legal action.

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Writing on X today, the MP for Ashfield, called out the counter-demonstrations organised by Stand Up to Racism.

He said: “Attention Stand Up To Racism. I have great news for the crowd (less than 20) who turned up in Ashfield to call my constituents racist.

“The good news is that now hotels are being forced to remove illegal migrants there is a huge shortage of homes for the illegals. This means you can now open up your own homes at your own expense to provide meals and accommodation.

“Please drop me a note below if you want to help. Or give me an excuse why you can’t. This will be wonderful.”

Migrant hotels are bracing themselves for a wave of protests that are set to sweep the country this weekend. Around 30 demonstrations are being planned after a High Court judge ordered the removal of migrants from the Bell Hotel from next month.

The hotel has been the focus of protests after one resident was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, prompting public concern and calls for stricter oversight.

Demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel last month drew up to 2,000 people, highlighting the intensity of local opposition. It comes after new data revealed that 32,059 migrants were living in taxpayer-funded hotels as of June this year – an 8% increase compared with the previous year.

Stand Up To Racism called the High Court ruling this week stopping migrants using a hotel in Epping a “dangerous precedent” and claimed it “emboldened the far right”

The organisation said it will be holding counterprotests across the country on Friday and Saturday outside hotels suspected of housing migrants in the following locations:

Friday August 22

Bournemouth

Cardiff

Chichester

Leeds

Leicester

Orpington

Portsmouth

Saturday August 23

Bristol

Cannock

Horley

Leicester

Liverpool

Long Eaton

Newcastle

Wakefield

Residents of the village Stanwell near Heathrow airport come out of their 100’s protesting outside “The Stanwell” migrant hotel last night (Thursday).

For 21 days every evening locals of all ages and races have made a peaceful protest against the use of their village hotel being used as a migrant hotel of which now only men are being housed in at the location.

Many of the houses that back onto the 4 star hotel have now erected flags on their properties in solidarity brining the community together in the hope that the government will remove all the single men from the location and return it to a village hotel which served the community as a centre point for weddings, funerals and birthday celebrations for the locals.

New data released this week reveals the number of migrants currently accommodated in hotels across 122 UK council areas. The figures show that 32,059 migrants were living in taxpayer-funded hotels as of June this year – an 8% increase compared with the previous year.

The dataset includes all councils, from those with no migrants housed to those with the highest numbers, providing a full national overview. Some councils are hosting hundreds of migrants in temporary hotel accommodation, while others report zero, highlighting the uneven distribution of demand for hotel housing.

This transparency gives residents and policymakers a clear picture of how local authorities are managing migrant accommodation and could influence future planning and policy decisions.

Scots councils have been urged to follow Epping Council and seek legal advice in a bid to stop the Home Office housing migrants in hotels. The English local authority left Sir Keir Starmer humiliated after winning a court battle to block the housing of asylum seekers in The Bell Hotel.

The High Court granted a temporary injunction blocking them from being sited there after a number of protests were held outside it after a migrant living there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town. Mr Justice Eyre ruled after refusing an 11th-hour effort from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to dismiss the case.

Currently, the UK Government is legally obligated to house asylum-seekers.

Using hotels to do so has been a contentious issue since 2020, when the number of asylum-seekers increased sharply and the then-Conservative government had to find new ways to house them.

Under Labour there have been more than 27,000 unauthorised arrivals so far this year, nearly 50% higher than at the same point last year.

The figure is ahead of the number at this time of year in 2022, when a record 45,755 came ashore.

The number of asylum-seekers housed in hotels stood at just over 32,000 at the end of June, according to Home Office figures released Thursday.

That figure was up 8% from about 29,500 a year earlier but far below the peak of more than 56,000 in September 2023.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

In May, the National Audit Office said those temporarily living in hotels accounted for 35% of all people in asylum accommodation.

St George’s and Union flags have been placed over a pedestrian crossing that has St George’s crosses drawn on it, near the Britannia International Hotel in Canary Wharf, London, where asylum seekers are planned to be housed.

Posting on X, the Conservative leader wrote: “Labour say the number of asylum hotels has halved. What they aren’t saying is all of that cut happened before the general election last year.

“If Labour had continued on that trajectory, there would be no asylum hotels today. Instead, progress has stopped.

“The number of asylum hotels has remained constant, the number of small boat arrivals has hit record highs, and they voted against our Deportation Bill that would bring in a proper deterrent and ensure we deported illegal arrivals asap.”

Good morning and welcome to our LIVE this Friday. Follow this blog for all the latest updates.