The raw anger boiling over in Epping, Essex, is not merely a local disturbance; it is the latest, most visceral symptom of a national crisis. A community, pushed to its breaking point by the government’s catastrophic failure to control our borders, has risen up. While Mandate Shift unequivocally condemns any violence against our brave police and security staff, we stand in solidarity with the fundamental right of the British people to protest when their safety, their communities, and their very way of life are under threat. The scenes in Epping are a stark warning: the British public has had enough of being ignored, enough of being lied to, and enough of Labour’s open-door policies that have left our nation vulnerable.
Epping: The Spark That Ignited a Powder Keg
The tranquil streets of Epping have been transformed into a battleground of public outrage, all stemming from a deeply disturbing incident that has ripped through the heart of the community. On July 8th, Essex Police arrested Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, a 38-year-old asylum seeker who had reportedly arrived in the UK by boat just eight days prior. He has since been charged with three counts of sexual assault, one count of inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity, and one count of harassment without violence. While Kebatu denies the charges, the allegations themselves were the spark that ignited the powder keg of local frustration.
This horrific incident immediately triggered a series of protests outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, which has been housing asylum seekers for years. By Sunday, July 20th, this was the fourth such gathering in just nine days, with approximately 500 local residents converging on the hotel. These weren’t professional agitators; they were ordinary families, mothers, and fathers, holding signs declaring “Protect Our Kids”.
Their voices echoed the profound sense of betrayal felt across Britain. Mother Nicola, protesting with her children, articulated the raw sentiment: “I’m sick and tired of working and paying for these people. I’ve got a young little girl and I want her to be safe. By all means come over. Bring into the economy, no disputing that. But you can’t just come over and take and expect everything for nothing”. Reform councillor Aimee Keteca, holding a sign that read “I’m not far right – I’m worried about my KIDS,” voiced the chilling reality: “It’s right on your doorstep, we’ve got people here and we don’t know who they are”.
While some elements, including individuals linked to far-right groups, regrettably sought to co-opt and escalate these legitimate protests into violence, resulting in injuries to eight police officers and six arrests , the core grievance remains undeniable. The Epping Forest District Council itself has consistently opposed the use of The Bell Hotel, deeming its location “entirely unsuitable” for housing asylum seekers. This isn’t just about Epping; similar scenes of unrest have erupted in Southport, Rotherham, and Knowsley. These are the fault lines of a nation cracking under the strain of uncontrolled immigration.
Labour’s Legacy: An Open Borders Betrayal
The roots of this crisis run deep, stretching back to the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown (1997-2010). It was during this period that Britain’s economic immigration policy was fundamentally reshaped, transforming it from one of Europe’s most restrictive to one of its most liberal. A pivotal, and frankly reckless, decision was the immediate opening of the UK labour market to citizens from new EU member states in 2004, without the transitional controls many other European nations wisely imposed.
The consequences were catastrophic. Labour famously predicted a mere 57,000 arrivals from these new accession countries; the reality was a staggering 800,000. This colossal miscalculation wasn’t just an error; it was a profound betrayal of public trust, fostering a deep-seated suspicion that the government was either incompetent or deliberately misleading the public. Gordon Brown’s infamous “bigoted woman” comment, caught on a live mic, perfectly encapsulated the disdain Labour held for the legitimate anxieties of working-class Britons concerned about immigration. This era laid the groundwork for the unprecedented levels of migration we see today.
Fast forward to the present, and the current Labour government, elected in 2024, has inherited a system drowning in “record levels of net migration”. Net migration soared to an unprecedented 906,000 in June 2023, a four-fold increase from 2019 levels, and remains historically high at 728,000 in June 2024. Yet, in a shocking display of disregard for public sentiment, this Labour administration explicitly states it “does not want to set a target for net migration”. This stands in stark contrast to previous Conservative efforts, however imperfect, to at least aim for a reduction to under 100,000 annually. The message is clear: Labour is simply not serious about controlling our borders.
The most glaring symptom of this uncontrolled influx is the scandalous asylum hotel crisis. At its peak in Autumn 2023, over 400 hotels were being used, costing taxpayers almost £9 million per day. Even now, in early 2025, the daily bill remains over £8 million. The projected annual expenditure from the foreign aid budget for housing asylum seekers alone is an astonishing £2.2 billion this year. These aren’t just numbers; they are billions of pounds of your money, diverted from essential public services, to prop up a broken system that Labour seems incapable or unwilling to fix. While Labour pledges to end hotel use by 2029, this distant deadline is a slap in the face to communities bearing the brunt of this “costly” and “limbo-leaving” failure. Their new Bill, critics rightly argue, even “makes it easier for illegal immigrants to gain UK citizenship” and has “watered down our reforms”. This is not control; it is capitulation.
The Unbearable Strain: Britain Under Siege
The relentless pace of mass immigration is not just a financial burden; it is fundamentally reshaping Britain, placing an unbearable strain on our public services, eroding public safety, and fracturing our cultural cohesion.
International immigration is now the primary driver of population growth, pushing the UK population to an estimated 68.3 million in mid-2023, projected to hit 70 million by mid-2026. Without this influx, our population would plummet by over a quarter, falling below 50 million by 2100. This rapid, immigration-driven growth places “intolerable pressure” on our already “overstretched public services”.
Our beloved National Health Service is groaning under “record demand” and “significant capacity issues”. Between 2010 and 2022 alone, nearly 7 million new GP registrations were by migrants. Hospital bed occupancy consistently exceeds 90%, a level widely considered unsafe. The consequence? Migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers themselves face an average wait of 37 weeks for NHS treatments, far exceeding the official 18-week guideline, demonstrating a system overwhelmed for
everyone.
The housing crisis is equally dire. The UK faces a “significant housing crisis,” with new home construction consistently falling short of the government’s target of 300,000 new homes annually. Mass immigration directly “adds to housing demand” and places “serious pressure on housing”. To keep pace with record immigration, a new home needs to be built in England every five minutes. Households with foreign-born members are “more likely to be in overcrowded conditions,” a stark indicator of the pressure on existing stock.
Our schools are not immune. Asylum-seeking children face “significant delays” in securing school placements, often waiting more than four weeks, and sometimes over a year. The Home Office’s accommodation policy, which fails to consider local school place availability, exacerbates this problem, leading to families being placed in areas already experiencing shortages.
And then there is crime. The Epping incident, with an asylum seeker charged with sexual assault, brings public safety concerns into sharp focus. Research indicates that a “1% increase in the asylum seeker share of the local population is associated with a 1.1% rise in property crime”. This is partly attributed to asylum seekers often being unable to work and having limited access to benefits, which can, in desperate circumstances, increase the “relative returns to crime”.
Perhaps most damaging of all is the erosion of cultural cohesion and public trust. Immigration, once a fringe concern, became the “number one issue” for Britons in 2006-2007. After a post-Brexit lull, it surged again from late 2022, becoming the top “most important issue” at 38% in October 2024. A staggering 52% of people wanted immigration numbers reduced in April 2023 , and a powerful 63% desired net migration to be lower than 100,000 in May 2025.
This overwhelming public sentiment is in direct opposition to the current reality. The “scale and speed of immigration is leading to rapid cultural and societal change, with some areas of our country changing beyond recognition in a very short space of time”. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer himself has acknowledged the risk of Britain becoming an “island of strangers” , while former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has bravely spoken of communities “not integrating” and, in some cases, “actively loathing Britain”.
The core problem is a profound “credibility gap”. “Politicians’ repeated promises to reduce and control immigration have been blatantly abandoned and betrayed, harming voter trust and democracy itself”. Conservative voters, in particular, overwhelmingly feel immigration has negatively impacted British culture, leading to “communities living separate lives”. The Epping protests are not just about one alleged crime; they are a desperate cry from a public that feels unheard, unprotected, and betrayed by a political class that has lost control.
The Mandate Shift: It’s Time for Real Change
The message from Epping and communities like it across Britain is clear: the time for platitudes and broken promises is over. Mandate Shift believes it is time for a fundamental, uncompromising shift towards a controlled immigration system that puts British interests first. We must:
- Reclaim Sovereignty: Take full, unequivocal control of our borders and immigration policy.
- Drastically Reduce Net Migration: Set and meet clear, ambitious targets to bring net migration down to sustainable levels, reflecting the will of the 63% who demand it be below 100,000.
- Implement Stricter Entry and Settlement Criteria: End the “backdoor to long-term migration” through routes like the Graduate Visa, requiring graduates to meet standard salary thresholds. Increase the qualifying period for permanent residence to ten years, making British citizenship a privilege earned through genuine commitment and contribution. Restrict access to benefits and housing aid for those on work visas, ensuring newcomers “contribute more than they take out”.
- End Asylum Hotel Abuse and Secure Borders: Immediately close costly asylum hotels and swiftly remove those with no right to be here. Adopt a “zero-tolerance” approach to illegal migration, strengthening border security and dismantling criminal smuggling gangs.
- Prioritise Our Own: Shift focus from importing workers to investing in our domestic workforce, training more British doctors, nurses, and engineers. Ensure our public services, housing, and schools can cope with existing demand before any further population growth is considered.
The Epping crisis is a wake-up call. It is a testament to the profound damage wrought by years of uncontrolled immigration and Labour’s abject failure to protect our communities. The British people are demanding action, not empty words. It is time for a Mandate Shift – a return to common sense, control, and a future where Britain truly puts its own citizens first.
