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Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has sparked controversy by suggesting asylum seekers could be housed in "camps" rather than hotels, as community tensions rise over local accommodation arrangements. Speaking during a visit to Epping in Essex, she questioned whether authorities could "set up camps and police that, rather than bringing all of this hassle into communities?" according to reports.
The suggestion came as official figures show 49,797 people have crossed the English Channel by small boat since Sir Keir Starmer (Labour) took office following last year's general election. Badenoch told community members at the Black Lion pub that "we cannot use rules from 1995, or 2005, or even 2015 for 2025" as she outlined the need for new approaches, according to authorities.
Speaking to local residents, the MP for North West Essex acknowledged that parents and children had told her "they don't feel safe" in their community. She described the current hotel arrangements as imposing an "unfair burden on communities" and warned that Labour's plans to close asylum hotels by the end of Parliament could worsen the situation, official sources confirmed.
Community safety concerns
Local tensions in Epping escalated after asylum seeker Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl outside the Bell Hotel in July. Kebatu denies sexual assault and faces trial this month, providing a specific trigger for community protests that began on July 13, according to reports.
Badenoch distinguished between "local people protesting about something that's happening in their midst" and "professional protesters" who attend multiple events. She argued that community members should have "precedence in their own communities" versus others "randomly passing through," as authorities confirmed.
The Conservative leader told residents that "lots of people here have been talking about being harassed by a lot of people in the hotels" and emphasised that "not everyone here is a genuine asylum seeker." She outlined plans to ensure people arriving illegally "are deported immediately" and close pathways to citizenship, according to official sources.
Wider protests emerge
Similar demonstrations erupted in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, on Saturday, where hundreds marched through the town after two men, reported to be Afghan asylum seekers, were charged over the rape of a 12-year-old girl. Protesters held signs reading "What about our girls' human right to safety" as community concerns spread beyond Essex, reports confirmed.
Refugee organisations including Oxfam and Amnesty International have urged political leaders to take a "strong and united stand" against divisive rhetoric following the weekend protests. In a coordinated open letter published Monday, they condemned attacks on migrants who have "already suffered unimaginably, having fled for their lives from countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan and Syria," according to advocacy groups.
The End Violence Against Women Coalition warned that the "far-right has long exploited the cause of ending violence against women and girls to promote a racist, white supremacist agenda." They argued that "attacks against migrant and racialised communities are appalling and do nothing to improve women and girls' autonomy, rights and freedoms," as sources confirmed.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
