On Saturday, August 23, 2025, towns and cities across the United Kingdom became the stage for a new wave of protests and counter-protests over the use of hotels and flats to house asylum seekers. In Mold, Flintshire, hundreds gathered outside the Poundland shop to voice opposition to rumors and plans for local accommodation of asylum-seeking families, while a smaller but vocal group of counter-protesters rallied nearby, holding banners that read “no to racism” and “asylum seekers welcome,” according to BBC and North Wales Live.
This scene was far from unique. Demonstrations under the Abolish Asylum System slogan were organized in more than 30 locations, spanning from Bristol and Exeter in England to Aberdeen and Perth in Scotland, and to Mold in Wales. Stand Up To Racism, a group backing the rights of refugees, coordinated counter-protests in several of the same towns, including Liverpool, Wakefield, and Horley. Police presence was heavy in many areas, with officers forming cordons between opposing groups and, in some cases, mounted police intervening to keep order, as reported by Sky News and North Wales Live. Despite the heated atmosphere and confrontational scenes, no arrests were reported in Mold or at other major protest sites.
The protests reflect a surge of public anxiety and political tension surrounding the government’s handling of asylum seekers. According to Sky News, more than 32,000 asylum seekers are currently housed in hotels across the UK, an 8% increase during Labour’s first year in office. The government has pledged to end the use of hotels for this purpose by 2029, but critics argue the policy is unsustainable and stokes local resentment.
In Mold, the focus was on the Ambrose Centre, where up to 35 asylum-seeking family members are expected to be accommodated across nine flats. Flintshire Council confirmed to North Wales Live that the flats were being prepared for use by the Home Office, with Clearsprings Ready Homes, a private company, contracted to manage the facility. Notably, both Flintshire Council and Mold Town Council said they had not been consulted on the decision—a point that fueled local frustration and protest turnout.
Netty Lloyd, a Mold resident and protest organizer, voiced the concerns of many in the crowd: “I’ve lived in Mold for 49 years. We need our community to stay together, look after each other, and support our own first,” she told BBC. On the other side, counter-protester Benjamin Lawrence Jones explained, “We were standing our ground, singing our songs, and standing up for what we believe in, which at the end of the day is the main thing.”
North Wales Police, aware of the event in advance, worked with organizers to ensure a peaceful demonstration. In a statement on their South Flintshire Facebook page, officers said, “We respect the democratic right to protest and we have no reason to expect disorder, but will deal robustly with anyone who chooses to commit criminal offences.”
The situation in Mold echoed similar events elsewhere. In Orpington, southeast London, dozens of protesters gathered outside the TLK hotel, chanting “Get them out” and “Save our children,” while counter-protesters marched in with banners reading “Refugees welcome, stop the far right.” The Metropolitan Police maintained a strong presence, forming a large cordon between the two groups and confirming later that no arrests were made, as reported by Nation.Cymru and Sky News.
Underlying these local flashpoints is a broader national debate, intensified by recent legal and political developments. On Tuesday, August 19, the High Court granted Epping Forest District Council a temporary injunction requiring the removal of 140 asylum seekers from the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, by September 12. The case followed weeks of regular protests sparked by the charge—denied by the accused—against an asylum seeker for allegedly trying to kiss a 14-year-old girl. The government, dissatisfied with the court’s decision, announced plans to appeal both the refusal to permit its intervention and the temporary injunction itself. Several other local councils have since sought legal advice on whether they could pursue similar injunctions for hotels in their areas, according to BBC and Sky News.
Meanwhile, the political rhetoric has ratcheted up. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage unveiled a hardline immigration policy, promising “mass deportations” of illegal immigrants if his party wins the next general election. Farage told The Times, “There is only one way to stop people coming into Britain and that is to detain them and deport them.” He outlined a plan to remove the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights, scrap the Human Rights Act, and operate five deportation flights a day, including sending asylum seekers to countries such as Afghanistan and Eritrea or to British overseas territories like Ascension Island. When asked about Afghan nationals at risk of torture or death, Farage replied, “I’m really sorry, but we can’t be responsible for everything that happens in the whole of the world. Who is our priority? Is it the safety and security of this country and its people? Or are we worrying about everybody else and foreign courts?”
Labour’s Minister of State for Border Security and Asylum, Angela Eagle, dismissed Farage’s proposals as unrealistic, saying, “This Labour government has substantially increased returns with 35,000 people removed from the country in the last year alone, a huge increase on the last government. We are getting a grip of the broken asylum system. Making sure those with no right to be here are removed or deported.” Conservative MP and shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused Farage of recycling old Tory ideas, stating, “Nigel Farage previously claimed mass deportations were impossible, and now he says it’s his policy. Who knows what he’ll say next.”
The Home Office has also faced criticism for its handling of local accommodation decisions. In Diss, Norfolk, after protests erupted over plans to house single men at the Park Hotel, the Home Office decided not to extend the contract for asylum seeker accommodation there. Conservative council leader Daniel Elmer welcomed the move but lamented, “It does mean that the women and children who we fought so hard to protect will now be moved elsewhere, and that is a shame.”
As the summer draws to a close, the UK’s asylum system remains a flashpoint for political, legal, and social tensions. With protests continuing, legal battles unfolding, and party leaders staking out starkly different positions, the debate over how—and where—to house asylum seekers shows no sign of abating.
