A judge who overturned a local council’s legal victory to stop asylum seekers being housed in an Essex hotel has been reported to the judiciary by a barrister over his links to left-wing organisations. Lord Justice Bean found in favour of the Home Office and hotel owners when he delivered a shock verdict on Friday ruling against an earlier decision by the High Court.
In a ruling last week, Mr Justice Eyre granted Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) an interim injunction after the authority claimed that Somani Hotels had breached planning rules by using the Bell Hotel, in Epping, as accommodation for asylum seekers. But Somani Hotels, which owns the venue, and the Home Office challenged the ruling which would have stopped 138 asylum seekers being housed there beyond September 12.
On Friday, Lord Justice Bean, sitting with Lady Justice Nicola Davies and Lord Justice Cobb at the Court of Appeal, said that Mr Justice Eyre’s ruling was “seriously flawed in principle”. Now a leading barrister has referred the Lord Justice Bean to the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO), which handles concerns of discipline among judges and claims of potential conflicts of interest.
The Daily Mail reports the Court of Appeal judge was previously a chairman of the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation with links to the Labour Party. Previous holders of the position included Labour’s Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, minister-turned TV presenter Ed Balls and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
It’s reported Lord Justice Bean is also one of the founding members of the Matrix Chambers, alongside former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s wife Cherie. The current Labour Attorney General Lord Hermer joined the chambers later.
Barrister Steven Barrett, who referred the judge to the JCIO on Thursday before the Court of Appeal ruling, said in a social media post Lord Justice Bean should not have heard the Bell Hotel case.
Mr Barrett wrote after the judgement was handed down on Friday: “I highlighted this issue before the judgment – because it was an issue already. It is far more of an issue now.
“The issue is apparent bias – not actual bias. Justice must be seen to be being done.”
Senior Conservative James Cleverly suggested that the Home Office was cutting local people out of the loop, adding of the Court of Appeal decision: “I’m sure that Yvette Cooper and the Home Office officials think this is good news. It really isn’t.”
Reacting to the ruling, Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle said the Government was committed to closing all asylum hotels by the end of this Parliament, but added that it appealed against the High Court ruling so that hotel use can be ended in a “controlled and orderly way”.
Epping Forest District Council has said it is “ruling nothing out” following the Court of Appeal decision, including taking its bid for a temporary injunction to the Supreme Court.