A COACH full of asylum seekers were moved into the controversial four-star Canary Wharf migrant hotel in the middle of the night – hours before protests across the UK.
The Britannia International Hotel was closed to paying customers and converted into taxpayer-funded “surge” accommodation for illegal arrivals in the UK last week.
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We told how mattresses, drinks and bed frames were shipped into the luxury East London tourist hotspot which branded itself as the “perfect” place for tourists to spend a weekend.
The 500-room hotel – said to have “superb views over London” – was designated for asylum seekers in a move that has angered anti-migrant protesters who staged peaceful demonstrations outside.
Footage shared online this morning showed around 40 male asylum seekers getting off the coach, with most dressed in grey tracksuits.
The first arrivals were taken off the coach at around 1.40am and led into the hotel to be given rooms.
They were helped by masked security guards working as private contractors for the Home Office.
Last week, workers were seen hauling beds and mattresses into the hotel in preparation for the arrival of ‘hundreds’ of asylum seekers.
The hotel offers two restaurants and bars, making it the “perfect base for a city break”.
The use of the flash financial district hotel, one of around 210 in use for asylum, was previously branded as farcical and an “insult” to taxpayers.
When open to the public, a standard room had cost as much as £425 a night – though it will cost the Home Office £81 a night.
Amenities include a games room with a pool table and gym, though it is unclear if migrants will be allowed to use them.
An indoor pool and sauna are thought to have been shut down.
It comes as protest and counter-protests take place today against the use of hotels to accommodate asylum seekers.
The Metropolitan Police have said there is an “increased police presence” outside the Thistle City Barbican Hotel in Islington, North London.
A protest and counter protest is also taking place in Newcastle outside The New Bridge Hotel this afternoon while about 100 people attended a protest outside Stanwell Hotel in Spelthorne, Surrey, on Friday night.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told The Sun: “It is outrageous that the Government is splurging taxpayers’ hard-earned money on luxury hotels for illegal immigrants when most people in this country would struggle to afford a hotel in central London.
“This is one of the most luxurious hotels people can only dream of staying in, right in the heart of London’s financial centre.
“No wonder illegal immigrants are flooding across the channel in record numbers when this weak Labour government welcomes them with hotel accommodation funded by hard-working taxpayers.
“This is an insult to law-abiding citizens.
“The Government must urgently act to deport every single illegal arrival, then the crossings would rapidly stop but Keir Starmer is too weak to do this.”
Sources indicated the International would remain empty until it was needed as part of “surge” accommodation measures.
Officials have rented 400 rooms, meaning the weekly bill for the hotel could be up to £226,800 if every room is used.
Agency staff have been drafted in to run it, with existing contractors, like long-time cleaners and bar staff, told they were no longer required.
Worried locals in nearby skyscrapers have also told of their fears over safety and their house prices.
Estate agent John Costea also told the Financial Times that clients from the UK and abroad had asked “many questions” about the hotel, including “how is it going to reflect their property value”.
Mary, 58, who lives five minutes away, fumed: “This used to be the best place in the world but it’s gone to the dogs.
“I struggle on my pension.
“I paid taxes all my life. And they are in a four-star hotel?”
A Tower Hamlets Council spokesman told The Sun: “We are aware of the Government’s decision to use the Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.
“It is important that the Government ensures that there is a full package of support for those staying at the hotel. We are working with the Home Office and partners to make sure that all necessary safety and safeguarding arrangements are in place.”
The Home Office previously said: “We inherited a broken asylum system from the Tories with costs spiralling out of control.
“As part of the plan to restore order and close all asylum hotels by the end of the parliament, we are boosting border security, substantially increasing removals of those with no right to be here.
“We are also tackling the Tories’ wasteful contracts by ending the use of more expensive accommodation and moving to cheaper options.”
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