Kemi Badenoch has appeared to suggest that asylum seekers should be housed in camps which could be policed, instead of in hotels.
The leader of the Conservatives has been speaking to communities about immigration in Epping, Essex, following multiple protests at a hotel in the town alleged to be housing asylum seekers.
During her visit, Ms Badenoch sat down with local residents at the Black Lion Pub to discuss their concerns – and appeared to propose housing migrants in “camps”.
The leader of the opposition said: “Is it possible for us to set up camps and police that, rather than bringing all of this hassle into communities?
“As a party, we need to also hear from the community about what you think the solutions are. We don’t have all the answers; it’s important that we make sure that the community is part of the problem solved.”
The MP for North West Essex said that politicians must “turn things around very quickly”.
She explained: “We cannot use rules from 1995, or 2005, or even 2015 for 2025. Our world is changing very quickly, and we need to adapt to it.”
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Hundreds gather for protest outside ‘migrant’ hotel
Epping has seen numerous protests against mass immigration held outside the town’s The Bell Hotel, some of which have turned violent. Local politicians have called on the government to shut the hotel.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also accused Essex Police of “bussing in” counter-protesters, claims which the force called “categorically wrong”.
Addressing the protests, Ms Badenoch said there is a “big difference” between local communities protesting “about something that’s happening in their midst” and what she termed “professional protesters – who turn up at lots of different events”.
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Essex Police arrest ten after protests
The Tory leader said these are “not equivalent” and seemed to imply local people should have a priority over those travelling to protest.
She said: “This is your home, this is your community, and that in my view is quite important. People should have some kind of precedence in their own communities versus other people randomly passing through, otherwise we start to change the nature of what protest is.”
Ms Badenoch also alleged that “people now use protest as a cover for troublemaking”.
