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Yet the country's two mainstream but increasingly unpopular parties – a disenchantment Brits will recognise – portray the AfD as chocka with swastika-waving Nazis building scale models of Treblinka in their basements.
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Times
5 hours ago
- Times
Epping council votes to close controversial migrant hotel
The number of people protesting outside a migrant hotel in Essex on Thursday night was dwarfed by the number of police officers, who were deployed to head off the potential for the demonstration descending into violence. With many perhaps deterred by the bad weather, about 200 protesters gathered at the Bell Hotel in Epping, far fewer than the previous Thursday when there were estimated to be 1,000 people and clashes took place between protesters and police. They were met by a significant police presence that included dogs, territorial support units, which specialise in policing public order, and scores of officers who formed a human cordon around the hotel. Officers were also stationed all over the town and police vans snaked up the high street. • Neo-Nazis leading Epping hotel protests call for nationwide action The Bell has housed migrants since 2020, but protests were sparked after Hadush Kebatu, 38, an Ethiopian migrant and resident of the hotel, was charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl. They soon decided to march along the main road to the Epping Forest district council building, all the while flanked by a cordon of police officers. Inside the council building, a meeting was in session to vote on closing the Bell for housing asylum seekers. Shane Yerrell, a Tory councillor, read out a statement from the father of the girl who was allegedly assaulted by Kebatu. 'I do not want or condone any of the violence that has taken place at the protests,' he said. 'That's not what we're about, and that's not what we're trying to achieve. 'It's only going to make things go the other way. I just want the hotel to be moved … away from making any other family feel how we're feeling right now.' Outside, protesters milled around in the rain, occasionally raising chants of 'save our kids' or 'Starmer is a wanker'. There were scattered confrontations between individual protesters and police officers, including one man with a St George's flag draped over his shoulder, who took issue with an officer who asked him not to walk on the road. Callum Barker, a member of Homeland, a far-right party that has been helping to organise the protests, made a speech over a megaphone in which he berated police for having 'caged us like animals'. • Epping protest: Nigel Farage defends asylum hotel demonstrators When news came through that the council had voted to close the hotel, protesters greeted it with a round of cheers shortly afterwards followed by Winston Churchill's 'We shall fight them on the beaches' speech that was played over a loudspeaker. Earlier in the day Essex police had issued a dispersal order across Epping from 2pm on Thursday until 8am on Friday, giving officers the power to direct anyone suspected of committing antisocial behaviour, or planning to do so, to leave the area or face arrest. The decision to deploy large policing numbers comes amid mounting fear that the protests may escalate and spread to other parts of the country as they did during the race riots of last summer. • Nigel Farage denies whipping up trouble in Southport Last Thursday, the demonstration descended into violence as protesters brawled with police and smashed up their vehicles. Smaller demonstrations have also taken place in Canary Wharf and Diss over the past week. Chris Noble, the lead for protests at the NPCC, said all forces were ready and prepared after a detailed review of mistakes made during last summer's riots. 'We have robust and well-tested proactive plans in place, with the ability to mobilise significant and specialist resources, if necessary,' he said. 'Following last summer, we carried out a thorough review of national and regional processes, which has seen us take steps to further enhance our ability to respond in a timely and effective manner.' Police arrested 16 people involved in protests outside the hotel last week on Thursday and Sunday. Eight officers were injured and a number of police vehicles were damaged as missiles were thrown, Essex police said. Police released video showing the arrest of a man from Harlow in his living room on suspicion of violent disorder during one of the protests last week. Speaking to The Times, Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, warned violent thugs hijacking protests outside migrant hotels that she will 'always' ensure there is space in jail if they break the law before a series of demonstrations planned for this weekend. She said there was 'nothing wrong' with those staging peaceful protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, such as the Bell Hotel in Epping. However, she said those who turn to violence during the protests will 'face the full force of the law'. Located on the boundary between London and Essex, Epping is an affluent market town popular with commuters working in the capital, and is a 40-minute journey on the Central Line of the Tube. On the high street are shops and cafés, such as Gail's Bakery and the chocolatier Thornton's, as well as two fine art galleries. Large mansions that sell for up to £10 million stand on the edge of town, complete with swimming pools and tennis courts. The average house price is about £620,000, according to the estate agent Elliott James. But there are also pockets of deprivation, and in 2020 parts of the town were rated as being within the top 10 per cent of the most unhealthy areas in the country. Epping Forest, the constituency in which the town of 12,000 is situated, has returned a Conservative member of parliament at every election since 1974 when the constituency was created. Some 63 per cent of voters opted to leave the EU in 2016. Immigration in the area has been below average. In 2021, 6.9 per cent of Epping Forest residents said they were not British, compared with 10 per cent across England, according to the Office for National Statistics. The area has long attracted far-right activity, with the British National Party winning a series of council seats in the 2000s. In 2010 the party won 4.3 per cent of the vote at the general election, compared with 1.9 per cent nationally. After the BNP collapsed, several members switched to For Britain, an anti-Muslim party. Julian Leppert, a former BNP councillor, won an Epping Forest district council seat for the party in 2019. When asked by a newspaper in 2020 whether he wanted a whites-only enclave in the area, he replied: 'Ideally, yeah.'
The Sun
7 hours ago
- The Sun
After years watching Channel migrant crisis unfold Brits have just about snapped – and it's killing Starmer
CAST your mind back to Christmas 2018 when a few dozen migrants clambered into rickety dinghies off the French coast and headed for Britain. Then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid flew back early from his family holiday to declare a 'major incident', MPs called for the Navy to be deployed and the public rightly demanded action. 2 2 You don't need me to tell you what happened next: over the next seven years 174,000 more would-be asylum seekers crossed the English Channel. Billions of pounds of taxpayer cash have been ploughed into snapping up hotels for them to live in, with free bed and board. The lives of vulnerable men, women and children have been tragically lost. And families feeling the pinch have watched agog as successive governments throw good money after bad. Yesterday's revelation that thousands of asylum seekers have been gambling with money from taxpayer-funded pre-paid cards was shocking. But in many ways what is more depressing is that nobody is even really surprised any more. All roads lead to migration After years of hollow promises from politicians vowing to get a grip, voter patience is at breaking point — and the evidence backs it up. Immigration has now leapfrogged the economy and health to become the number one issue for the electorate. According to the pollster Scarlett Maguire, the public mood has taken a turn even in the last few months. When trying to take the nation's temperature in focus groups, it seems that all roads lead to migration. 16 arrested after protests outside Epping migrant hotel as ring of steel ramps up around TWO asylum seeker centres 'Even when I ask people's views about housing or the NHS, almost always the voters will bring the conversation back to migration,' she tells me. After years watching the Channel crisis unfold, it appears Brits have just about snapped. This does not bode well for Sir Keir Starmer. In a recent YouGov poll, 55 per cent of us thought the Government was handling immigration 'very badly', and 22 per cent 'fairly badly'. Just 14 per cent thought the PM was doing a good job — a dismal verdict on his attempts so far to get a handle on the scandal. Ministers like to crow about statistics they insist prove the opposite. They point to an increase in the number of deportations, or that spending on asylum is down by a third. All credible achievements, but, as one Starmer aide puts it: 'It's the visibility which is killing us. People see the boats, they see the migrant hotels and they just can't believe it.' It is a point Labour MPs — once terrified to touch illegal migration for fear of upsetting their base — are starting to make. Even those on the soft Left of the party are becoming more vocal, because the impact on their constituents is impossible to ignore. That senior backbencher Meg Hillier publicly took Starmer to task on homeless families having to compete for housing with asylum seekers reflects the shifting public mood. Or as one Labour MP tells me: 'You are always going to get a few left-wing back-benchers that see controlling our borders as a right-wing concept, which is clearly mental. 'But the party is waking up to the fact that the public is losing patience. 'The fact that many of my colleagues are talking about European Convention on Human Rights reform is quite something — it would have been unimaginable even a few years ago.' The clock is ticking because currently it is Nigel Farage who is laughing all the way to the ballot box. Jack Elsom Figures around Starmer say he is finally recognising the scale of anger simmering through the population. As protesters have rallied outside migrant hotels in recent weeks, Downing Street has been at pains to stress it understands their concerns. One insider says: 'Keir has become alive to the rage. A year ago he was calling people far-right. You don't hear him say that any more.' Some in the Labour tribe hope this is the moment the PM finally grasps the nettle and gets radical. Yes, he has signed a returns deal with France and inked various other agreements aimed at flushing out the smuggling gangs. But to quench the public's thirst for action, there is a sense among many Labour figures that none of this cuts the mustard. One loyalist MP tells me: 'They do get how bad it is. But that now needs to feed into radical policy, with urgency. 'The French deal is genuinely very impressive but it will take time to come through. And we don't have that much time.' The clock is ticking because currently it is Nigel Farage who is laughing all the way to the ballot box. The public wants radical The Reform leader's hardline stance on migration has earned him a commanding lead in the polls. Some 36 per cent of voters say he is best placed to slash migration, compared to 11 per cent for Labour and a mere six per cent for the Tories. His uncompromising promise to tow the boats back to France has gone down a storm with supporters, but met with mocking derision by detractors. They mock him at their peril. As one down-to-earth Labour figure put it: 'We're idiots if we think the way to beat Farage is by saying his ideas are too radical — we need to understand, the public WANTS radical.' Some of the hardliners in the party want a Thatcher-style 'purge of the wets' — with Attorney General Lord Hermer top of their list. For decades much of the country has felt concerns about immigration have been suppressed Westminster politicians. Many are now finding their voice for the first time. And even the ones who are not speaking publicly will make their feelings known at the ballot box.
ITV News
17 hours ago
- ITV News
UK and India sign 'historic' trade deal during official visit by Indian PM Modi
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the UK saw the signing of a "landmark" free trade deal, with the UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hailing the event as a "historic day." The deal is expected to see £6 billion invested into the UK economy, creating 2,200 jobs, making it the largest deal of its kind when measured in economic impact on Britain. As Starmer met with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at his country estate Chequers, he said they had agreed in autumn to make a 'step change' in the two countries' relationship. The PM added: 'I'm really pleased and privileged to welcome you here today on what I consider to be a historic day for both of our countries, and the delivery of the commitment that we made to each other.' Speaking through a translator, Modi described the UK and India as 'natural partners' and said the nations were 'writing a new chapter' in a shared history. As part of the deal tariffs on a range of British goods will be reduced from an average of 15% to 3%, in hopes of boosting imports into the south Asian nation. Whisky tariffs will be slashed in half, and are expected to fall further over successive years. Soft drinks, cars and cosmetics will also see cheaper duties. Before his meeting with Modi to confirm the deal, Starmer said: "Our landmark trade deal with India is a major win for Britain. "It will create thousands of British jobs across the UK, unlock new opportunities for businesses and drive growth in every corner of the country, delivering on our Plan for Change. "We're putting more money in the pockets of hardworking Brits and helping families with the cost of living, and we're determined to go further and faster to grow the economy and raise living standards across the UK." Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the investment will "reach all regions and nations of the UK so working people in every community can feel the benefits". The Prime Minister and his Indian counterpart also agreed ahead of their meeting to ramp up joint efforts to tackle corruption, fraud, organised crime and illegal migration, by sharing criminal records and other intelligence. The deal promises some benefits to the UK's financial services, but not as much as the Government would have liked. It is understood that talks continue regarding a bilateral investment treaty aimed at protecting investments in both countries. The two nations also continue to discuss UK plans for a tax on high-carbon industries, which India believes could hit its imports unfairly. The deal has been in the works for several years. Negotiations first began in 2022 under Boris Johnson, and were concluded in May this year. Labour sought to portray closing the deal, as well as trade agreements with the US and the EU, as evidence of the Government's pragmatism and global outlook. But shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said it had only been made possible "because of Brexit delivered by the Conservatives". He added: "Any trade deal that can successfully cut regulation which stops Britain's makers from creating new jobs and wealth will be a step in the right direction. "But the irony should not be lost on anyone that any gains from this trade deal will be blown out of the water by Angela Rayner's union charter, stifling business with red tape, the jobs tax and, come autumn, Rachel Reeves' inevitable tax hikes that will punish Britain's makers just to reward those who do not contribute." The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said that the signing "sends a powerful signal that the UK is open for business and remains resolute in its commitment to free and fair trade". Chief executive Rain Newton-Smith added: "A trade agreement with India - one of the world's fastest-growing economies - is a springboard for long-term partnership and prosperity. UK firms can take advantage of this new platform to scale, diversify and compete on the global stage." Starmer is facing calls to raise the case of detained blogger Jagtar Singh Johal with Modi. The Scottish Sikh has been detained in India since 2017, and is accused of being a member of the Khalistan Liberation Force, which is banned as a terror group in India. His family say he is being arbitrarily detained, with his brother Gurpreet Singh Johal insisting the matter should be "high on the agenda when the prime ministers meet".
