Labour MP Stephen Kinnock has claimed that the Government is "deeply frustrated" with the current practice of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels across the country, despite the Home Office appealing the ruling from the High Court.
The Home Office is currently challenging a High Court decision that would force the removal of asylum seekers from a hotel in Essex by September 12.
Mr Kinnock told GB News: "I am deeply, deeply frustrated, and so is the Government, by the use of these hotels for asylum seekers.
"That is not what these hotels are for. They are often really valued local assets in the community and they should not be used in this way.
Mr Kinnock told GB News he is 'deeply frustrated' by the use of asylum hotels
|GB NEWS
"Unfortunately, they are because of the mess we inherited from the previous Government, and we are taking action to deal with that mess.
"But what is clear is that if we end up with a disorderly discharge of asylum seekers from these hotels, it will only make the situation worse.
"We have to manage that process. We are absolutely committed, as we set out in our manifesto, to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers.
"So it is not a question of whether we want to do this we are absolutely committed to it. The question is how we manage it in a controlled and orderly way.
"That cannot be done if lots of hotels are emptied at once without managed and controlled intervention from the Government. That is why we are appealing this decision today.
"It is not because we don’t want these hotels emptied of asylum seekers it is because we want to do it in the right way."
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Government lawyers appeared before the Court of Appeal on Thursday, arguing that demonstrations outside the Bell Hotel in Epping stem from "a range of grievances, and they include animosity towards asylum seekers."
Edward Brown KC, representing the Home Office, dismissed suggestions that the protests were motivated by planning concerns.
"In the real world, it is not realistic to think that the objective of the protests is compliance with the planning regime," he told the court.
The Government is contesting both the temporary injunction granted last week and an earlier decision that prevented the Home Office from participating in the proceedings.
Protesters have been taking to the streets in Epping in their continued demonstration against the hotel | PAThe Bell Hotel currently accommodates 138 asylum seekers, with Epping Forest District Council securing an interim injunction following recent demonstrations and incidents outside the property.
The council initiated legal proceedings after a resident was accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, allegations which he denies.
Piers Riley-Smith, representing hotel owner Somani Hotels, warned the Court of Appeal about the "extremely high-profile nature of the issue" and the danger of establishing a legal precedent.
He noted that numerous local authorities were already exploring similar legal action regarding asylum accommodation in their jurisdictions.