Starmer facing revolt over migrant hotels as up to 80 councils, including Labour, considering legal action

It comes following a landmark court decision after a council in Essex was granted an injunction to stop a local hotel housing asylum seekers.

The Bell Hotel in Epping had been at the centre of a series of protests over a number of weeks.

Both Wirral and Tamworth councils, which are Labour-run, confirmed they are considering applying for high court injunctions to remove asylum seekers.

Reform UK says all 10 of its local authorities are considering their own applications.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Farage said the local authorities would do “everything in their power to follow Epping’s lead”.

The leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch is also encouraging all Conservative controlled councils to consider legal challenges against asylum seeker hotels.

The ruling has pushed ministers to explore the use of former military facilities for emergency accommodation.

The move has prompted the Home Office minister, Dan Jarvis, to admit the government will need to examine other housing arrangements if a wave of similar legal challenges emerges from councils.

Ministers are reluctant to share details of potential alternatives to asylum hotels, with a government source warning that such information could be used as a recruitment tool for the far right.

The leader of Wirral Council, Cllr Paula Basnett, said: “Like many other local authorities, we have concerns about the Home Office’s practice of placing asylum seekers in hotels without consultation or regard to local planning requirements.

“We are actively considering all options available to us to ensure any use of hotels or other premises in Wirral is lawful and does not ride roughshod over planning regulations or the wishes of our communities.

“If necessary, we will not hesitate to challenge such decisions in order to protect both residents and those seeking refuge.”

Read more: Reform-led councils consider fresh legal challenges to asylum-seeker hotels in their own area

Read more: Scottish Labour MSP charged over possession of indecent images

Tamworth Council said it would be looking to challenge the use of the Holiday Inn Express in its town centre, which was the focus of violent disorder during rioting following the Southport attacks last summer.

Last summer, footage was posted online appeared to show a fire being started in the hotel after thugs smashed in windows to the accommodation housing asylum seekers.

In a statement, it said: “The situation at Epping Forest represents a potentially important legal precedent, and we are carefully assessing what this might mean for our circumstances here in Tamworth.”

Reform insiders said West Northamptonshire Council are closer to preparing their own challenge.

Cllr Mark Arnull, Leader of West Northamptonshire Council, said: “We have always been clear with the Government and the public that the current use of three hotels in West Northamptonshire have never been suitable locations for asylum accommodation and place an unreasonable and unsustainable strain on our already-stretched local services.

“We also know these hotels cause concerns for our communities and I have raised these issues with the Home Office and written to the Deputy Prime Minister about the wider use of asylum accommodation within our community.

“We are currently considering the implications of this judgment to understand any similarities and differences and are actively looking at the options now available to us."

The Bell Hotel has been at the centre of a series of protests in recent weeks after an asylum seeker who was staying there was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.

Protests began peacefully in the town, but quickly turned violent after far-right agitators became involved, including men with links to neo-nazi parties in the UK.

LBC has revealed far-right social media accounts from Russia, America and Europe were encouraging the disorder.

Exclusive analysis conducted for LBC by the digital consultancy 411 shows that the accounts are attempting to inspire members of the far right to join protests.