The Government’s ability to house illegal migrants in hotels could be on the verge of collapsing this morning, after multiple councils announced plans to copy Epping’s victorious legal challenge. A High Court ruling yesterday saw Epping Forest council defeat the Home Office and get permission to shut down a migrant hotel on the grounds of a breach of planning law.

Already, a number of other councils across Britain have signalled their intention to pursue the same legal challenge after the court set a worrying precedent for the Labour Government. Broxbourne council in Hertfordshire was first out of the gates, announcing its intentions to try and also secure the ability to forcibly close migrant hotels. Just 15 minutes after finding out about the High Court’s ruling in Epping’s favour, Broxbourne council said: “[We] will now take legal advice as a matter of urgency about whether it could take similar action.”

The Home Office is now in panic mode (Image: Getty)

“The Council has opposed the use of the Delta Marriott for this purpose from the outset, but was advised that action was unlikely to be successful at that time.

“Broxbourne Council continues to consider the use of the Delta Marriott for the accommodation of asylum seekers to be inappropriate and will now consider as a priority the best way forward.”

The council has also demanded reassurance that no migrants from the hotel set to close in Epping will be moved to their hotels.

The statement by Broxbourne Council confirmed fears by the government that yesterday’s legal judgement would spark copy-cat moves by other councils, jeopardising their entire migrant processing system.

Those fears were compounded this morning when Reform UK’s deputy Richard Tice said all 12 of his party’s councils would be “instructing legal departments to pursue all legal avenues after this ruling”.

Richard Tice said Reform councils would also be issuing legal challenges (Image: Getty)

Speaking on Times Radio Mr Tice said his party would “absolutely” be pursuing the same action as Epping Forest.

“Our council leaders will be instructing legal departments to pursue all legal avenues after this ruling, which is very significant because it’s a temporary junction based on the fact that there has been a material change in use of the building from a hotel.

“And that’s the temporary injunction. So all the Reform councils will be pursuing this.”

Mr Tice’s intervention came after a car crash interview by Home Office minister Dan Jarvis, who refused to say where illegal migrants will now be housed, both as a result of yesterday’s court ruling and Labour’s wider pledge to shut down migrant hotels by 2029.

Asked if the government is now moving from hotels to large bases and camps, Mr Jarvis refused to answer the question.

Repeating his insistence that Labour is focused on reducing the inflow of illegal migrants, Today Programme host Emma Barnett blasted: “I think everyone accepts that, it’s just what are we doing in the meantime?

“There’s some time between 2029, which is the goal you’ve set yourself as a government.”

Mr Jarvis replied: “I accept the point that you’re making, and we have to look and are looking at alternative accommodation arrangements, but we have made that clear commitment. Is it going to be easy? No it isn’t. But this government and the Home Office are absolutely committed to making sure we phase out the use of hotels.”

Asked what ‘alternative accommodation arrangements’ actually means, he merely said it would entail “other more appropriate accommodation”.

“There’s likely to be a range of different arrangements in different parts of the country,” he added.