‘It Is in Much of the Media’s Interest to Drive a Farage Victory’: How Asylum Became the Issue Obsessing Britain

When the press produces a daily stream of ‘invasion’ stories, or seizes on individual incidents involving asylum seekers as emblematic, it sells fear and scapegoats, writes Jonathan Lis

Anti-migrant demonstrators outside the Bell Hotel in Epping. Byline Times is not identifying them as members of the far-right Photo: Ian Davidson/PA/Alamy

In August, the High Court ruled that the Government must move the asylum seekers living at the Bell Hotel in Epping. The judgment followed a period of protests outside the hotel after the arrest of a resident for sexual assault.

Epping Forest District Council secured a temporary injunction which would have forced the migrants to leave, but this was overturned by the Court of Appeal. The council then lost a legal attempt to appeal its decision to the Supreme Court.

The issue has dominated the news agenda. At this point, it is difficult to conclude whether the coverage is driving or is simply reflecting public concerns – most likely they are now locked in a mutually reinforcing (and radicalising) symbiosis.

According to a recent YouGov tracker, 56% of the Brits surveyed identified asylum and immigration as one of the top three issues facing the country – the highest this has been since the 2016 EU Referendum. A little more than five years ago, the number was 14%.

How, then, has this become such an overwhelmingly toxic issue for Keir Starmer’s Government?

The strange part of this phenomenon is that the key points of contention are not, in fact, contentious.

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