Sir Keir Starmer must chair an "emergency Cabinet meeting" to establish plans for deporting illegal immigrants following yesterday's High Court ruling on The Bell hotel in Epping, the Tories have claimed.
In a letter to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp put pressure on Labour to establish plans for the deportation of all illegal migrants and pushed for a commitment on the relocation of asylum seekers housed at the Epping hotel until September 12.
Mr Philp started his letter by pointing out that Epping's Tory-led Council "successfully challenged your use of the Bell Hotel" in the High Court yesterday.
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The temporary injunction now means asylum seekers will only stay at the hotel until September 12.
However, the Shadow Home Secretary also warned about the wider concerns expressed across the country, with migrant hotel protests stretching from Falkirk to Canary Wharf and Nuneaton to Havant.
Setting out the Tory Party's demands, Mr Philp said: "Given this crisis unfolding on your watch and the concern about where the Epping migrants will go, will you: Hold an emergency Cabinet meeting to establish plans for the deportation of all illegal immigrants upon arrival and to resolve the migrant crisis you have created."
Despite the letter being addressed to the Home Secretary, the Prime Minister leads Cabinet meetings by acting as chair and guiding the discussions made by senior Government officials.
Mr Philp also appeared to take a swipe at Sir Keir after stressing that the Prime Minister decided to chair an emergency Cabinet meeting on the UK's plan to recognise Palestine.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper during a visit to Cambridgeshire Police Headquarters, Huntingdon
|PA
In his second demand to Ms Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary demanded: "[The Government] commits that none of the illegal immigrants currently in the Bell Hotel will be moved into hotels, HMOs, apartments and social housing, which are much needed for British people.
"The previous Government established alternative accommodation on current or former military sites and an accommodation barge, which are all alternative options while deportation plans are put in place."
However, the Tory Party has been accused of hypocrisy by Reform UK after it was pointed out that the Conservatives housed 56,000 migrants in hotels.
The figure has since dropped to 32,000 migrants across around 200 hotels under Labour.
A copy of Chris Philp's letter to Yvette Cooper
|CHRIS PHILP
Mr Philp was serving as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Immigration Compliance and Courts when The Bell Hotel was first used for house asylum seekers in 2020.
Ex-Home Secretary James Cleverly helped bring about its closure in early 2024 after following through with a process initiated by now-Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick.
However, Sir Keir's Labour Government reopened The Bell Hotel to house illegal migrants shortly after the 2024 General Election.
Following yesterday's ruling in the High Court, the Home Office is at risk of facing yet more legal challenges from local authorities.
The Bell Hotel faced several protests before the High Court's landmark ruling
| PANigel Farage last night revealed that all Reform-run councils will also look to mirror Epping's fightback against The Bell Hotel housing around 140 asylum seekers.
Broxbourne Council, which borders Epping and is also run by the Conservatives, is also taking legal advice "as a matter of urgency" over a migrant hotel run in Cheshunt.
Corina Gander, who leads Broxbourne Council, said the Hertfordshire local authority will "go down the same path as Epping" following Tuesday's High Court ruling.
She added that the Cheshunt hotel had put "an enormous strain on local services".
Sir Keir Starmer recently held a meeting to discuss the UK's plan to recognise Palestine
|PA
“We are going to be looking at the ruling of Epping yesterday and we will be expecting to go down the same path as Epping,” Ms Gander added.
While Mr Philp's letter put pressure on the Home Office to take tougher action on the migrant crisis, the Green Party is calling on the Government to loosen laws on asylum seekers entering the workforce.
Green MP Ellie Chowns, who is looking to become co-leader alongside Adrian Ramsay as the pair battle Zack Polanski in the party's heated leadership campaign, said: "That’s the way to get them out of hotels and able to look after themselves and contributing to local communities."
However, the demand will likely fall on deaf ears, given Ms Cooper announced a crackdown on asylum seekers working for delivery companies just over a fortnight ago.