The Met Police said that a group of masked men attempted to enter the hotel via the rear entrance, while a breakaway protest group moved towards the nearby Novotel on Cherry Lane and towards the Holiday Inn. Officers had already been in place at the scene, with two suffering minor injuries.

Two groups of protesters marched to the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Heathrow Airport before some masked men tried to break in, police said.

Migrants staying at the Bell Hotel in Epping have “thanked” Keir Starmer after a controversial ruling allowed them to remain there.