After years of waiting, fighting legal battles, and living in limbo, a young Somali man has finally been told he can stay in Britain.
Khadar Mohamed, 24, who has been living in the controversial Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, says he is “over the moon” after winning his asylum case.
With his status now secured, he plans to leave the hotel next month and move to Bradford, Yorkshire, where he hopes to begin building a new life.
A Message of Gratitude
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Khadar couldn’t hide his relief.
“I have been told in the last two weeks that I have won my right to stay. I have been granted leave on human rights grounds.
I leave the hotel in the middle of October. It is great news,” he said.
He also expressed heartfelt thanks to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, adding: “I want to thank Keir Starmer from the bottom of my heart.”
A View on the Bigger Picture
Khadar believes his victory isn’t an isolated case.
“Many, many more of us will also be allowed to stay,” he said, noting that many residents at the Bell Hotel are in similar situations.
He also argued that Britain is gradually coming to terms with the fact that migrants are here to stay.
“I want to work, I want to contribute. It is not our fault.
If people are not happy, then the system is what needs to change. We are not the problem,” he explained.
Criticism of Labour’s ‘One-In, One-Out’ Scheme
Khadar is also sceptical of Labour’s attempt to curb small boat crossings through a “one-in, one-out” arrangement with France.
“The scheme has not worked already. It has failed. The plan to take asylum seekers to Rwanda did not work either.
A lot of time and millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money is being spent on this,” he argued.
He added: “Let us stay. I want to work and contribute. I love Britain. People need to calm down. We are not bad people.”
The Wider Battle Over Deportations
Khadar’s victory came as other cases played out in the courts.
An Eritrean man recently lost his asylum claim and was told he would be deported, despite saying he was a trafficking victim.
Another Eritrean, however, successfully won a temporary reprieve from deportation after a High Court judge blocked his removal under the UK-France deal.
The Home Office has already faced setbacks, with two deportation flights cancelled at the last minute due to legal challenges.
Mounting Political and Local Pressure
Labour’s deportation plan is already under fire, with critics warning it risks turning into “a farce.”
One flight from Heathrow to Paris went ahead without any asylum seekers on board, highlighting the difficulties of enforcing the policy.
Meanwhile, tensions continue to rise in Epping, where the Bell Hotel has become the centre of heated protests.
The controversy escalated after a resident was convicted of sexually assaulting a girl, sparking anger among locals.
The Bell Hotel Saga
The Bell Hotel has been under legal wrangling for months.
Epping District Council is fighting to shut the site down, but its bid suffered a setback when the Court of Appeal overturned an earlier High Court ruling that would have forced all 138 asylum seekers to leave.
The case is now heading to the Supreme Court, while protests outside the hotel have led to several arrests in recent weeks.
What Comes Next
For Khadar Mohamed, the future finally looks brighter.
He insists he wants nothing more than to settle, work, and contribute to the country he now calls home.
But for the Government, the legal and political battles around asylum seekers are far from over.
As policies falter, deportation flights fail, and communities remain divided, the question of how Britain handles its asylum system is only becoming more pressing.