His council was successful in its bid to win a temporary High Court injunction
Epping Forest District Council leader Chris Whitbread has taken a brutal swipe at the Home Office.
His council was successful in its bid to win a temporary High Court injunction blocking asylum seekers from being housed in the Bell Hotel.
Asylum seekers are now due to be removed from the Essex hotel which is owned by Somani Hotels Limited.
It comes after weeks of protests which broke out after an asylum seeker living there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in the town.
Speaking to GB News’s Home and Security Editor Mark White, Mr Whitbread said the Home Office’s conduct throughout the legal proceedings left him with a bitter taste.
“I have to say, I have been extremely disappointed in the Home Office since day one”, he said.
“They didn’t listen. They didn’t consult. That’s why they find themselves with this problem. They need to deal with the issue at the borders.
“Our country has always been fair, it has always allowed legitimate asylum seekers but this is wrong and the Government needs to get a grip.”
He was then asked by Mark how frustrating it was to see the Home Office make a last-minute intervention just as the judge was about to pass his ruling.
“Very disappointing”, said Mr Whitbread.
“That’s been the Home Office all along. They have always been late to any discussion and they have not wanted to address it at all.
“The only answer has been, ‘we will continue to use hotels up to the end of this parliament’, that’s four years away.”
