A fierce exchange erupted on GB News when Reform UK Councillor Jaymey McIvor suggested placing asylum seekers in tented accommodation, arguing such conditions were acceptable for British military personnel serving abroad.
"In other words, they need to be put in tents. If it's good enough for a serving British soldier…" Mr McIvor stated during the heated discussion.
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The Epping Forest District councillor defended his controversial proposal by drawing comparisons to festival-goers, saying: "I'm sorry, they don't mind it at Glastonbury, do they?"
Mr McIvor advocated for establishing detention centres similar to those used by armed forces overseas. He urged officials to contact Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the newly elected Mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, whom he credited with having the right approach to asylum accommodation.
Mr Laza locked horns with the Reform councillor
|GB NEWS
Former Labour adviser Matthew Laza launched a scathing attack on the proposal, warning that housing people in tents during winter would have fatal consequences.
"It's somewhat colder in Lincolnshire in the winter, you're going to see people die," Mr Laza responded. "It's just ludicrous, it's just nonsense."
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He dismissed Mr McIvor's festival comparison, stating: "I don't think Glastonbury in the middle of the summer is the same as Lincolnshire in the middle of January."
Mr Laza repeatedly pressed the councillor about Reform UK's immigration strategy, dismissing their promises as empty rhetoric. "They're going to wave a magic wand and Nigel Farage will send everyone back. It's nonsense, it's a con, Reform doesn't have a policy," he argued.
"It's all smoke and mirrors," Mr Laza concluded, questioning the viability of Reform's immigration proposals.
The debate occurred against the backdrop of Epping Forest District Council's recent High Court victory, which secured a temporary injunction preventing asylum seekers from being accommodated at the Bell Hotel in Essex.
The ruling, which requires Somani Hotels Limited to remove migrants within 14 days, has prompted multiple councils across party lines to explore similar legal challenges. Labour-controlled Wirral and Tamworth councils are examining potential court action, whilst Conservative-led Broxbourne and East Lindsey councils are seeking urgent legal advice.
The Home Office faces mounting pressure as local authorities challenge the use of hotels without proper consultation or planning permission. Ministers are reportedly considering alternatives including former military sites at Wethersfield air base in Essex and Napier Barracks in Kent.
A number of protests have been held in Epping in recent weeks over asylum hotels | GETTYMr McIvor defended Reform UK's immigration stance, claiming the British public had been "conned" by Labour's approach to asylum policy.
The councillor asserted that Reform advocates for a "net zero" migration policy, expressing frustration with current terminology. "I get very frustrated. We talk about these people as if they're asylum seekers, they're not, they're fraudulent to claim that label. They're illegal," he stated.
Mr Laza continued his criticism of Reform's immigration proposals, maintaining they lacked substance and practical solutions.
The former Labour adviser's characterisation of Reform's policies as "smoke and mirrors" highlighted the deep divisions between the parties on immigration strategy.
The exchange underscored broader tensions surrounding asylum accommodation, with councils nationwide reassessing their approach following Epping's legal precedent.
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