Protests put the UK’s political class on notice: A restive public doesn’t want any more illegal immigration
Epping, a middle-class district in southern England, rarely makes the news. But when a judge there ruled that a local hotel housing asylum-seekers can no longer be used for that purpose, it set off a bomb under one of the UK’s most politically toxic immigration policies.
Anti-immigrant protests, inspired by this ruling, erupted across the country. A panicking Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who makes much of his respect for the law, has promised to curb the powers of judges in asylum cases. But the political class has been put on notice — a restive populace will not put up with unfettered illegal immigration much longer.
“Keir Starmer knows that amongst the great British public, this issue rates even higher than the health service — and he’s just basically playing catch-up,” said Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and longtime immigration hawk.
Under the UN refugee convention, when the UK takes in asylum-seekers who cannot support themselves, it has an obligation to house them while their claims are being heard. But the number of such claims has risen exponentially in recent years, lengthening the interim period and driving up demand for the hotels.
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