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The leopard versus the Home Office

The high court's decision to close Epping's asylum hotel is the inevitable consequence of years of hostile anti-immigration rhetoric

Zoe Grunewald's avatar
Zoe Grunewald
Aug 21, 2025
∙ Paid
leopard on table top
Photo by Adaivorukamuthan on Unsplash

The closure of the asylum hotel in Epping this week should not have come as a surprise to the Home Office, and yet, of course, it did.

The High Court’s decision to side with the local council – which had challenged the government’s policy to house asylum seekers in the Bell Hotel based on planning decisions – is not …

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