Bridget Phillipson was repeatedly asked wether she believed the rights of asylum seekers were more important than the interests of local communities.
The questions came after Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, authorised Home Office lawyers to go to court saying that rights of illegal migrants in the Bell Hotel trumped those of local citizens in Epping.
Phillipson was quick to say “It’s about a balance of rights,” going on to blame the “inheritance from the Tories” and vowed “we will close the the hotel….but it has to be done in an orderly fashion.”
