Elon Musk has launched his latest attack on Sir Keir Starmer after new-build houses worth £300,000 in Suffolk were allocated to migrant families, sparking fury among locals struggling to get on the property ladder.
The Tesla billionaire took to X to share his outrage over the housing scandal, posting a link to media coverage alongside the comment “This must stop now”, adding to his series of inflammatory posts targeting the Prime Minister. The intervention comes as Labour faces mounting pressure over record Channel crossings and controversial asylum hotel policies.
Four three-bedroom townhouses in the Suffolk village, featuring en-suite bathrooms, underfloor heating and electric vehicle charging points, have been leased to government contractor Serco to house asylum-seeking families. The properties, which would normally command rental values of £1,200 per month, have been allocated as rent-free accommodation whilst asylum applications are processed.
Clive Bloomfield, 62, a lifelong resident and local gardener, expressed frustration at being “kept in the dark” over the decision. “There’s people working hard to try to get on the property ladder and they’re not considered,” he told reporters. “Our opinions don’t seem to count.”
The controversy erupted as Home Secretary Yvette Cooper prepares to face MPs today to defend Labour’s immigration strategy. Ms Cooper will claim the government’s plans are “already working” despite overseeing the highest number of Channel crossings on record for this point in the year.
Home Office data reveals that by 31 July, more than 25,000 people had crossed the Channel in small boats in 2025, representing a 49 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. The first six months of 2025 saw 19,982 arrivals, marking a 48 per cent surge year-on-year.
Cabinet colleague Bridget Phillipson fuelled the controversy yesterday by defending the government’s decision to deploy lawyers to keep open an asylum hotel in Epping. When pressed on Sky News about whether asylum seekers’ rights trumped those of local residents, the Education Secretary said: “It is about a balance of rights. When people come to this country and claim asylum, we have a responsibility as a Government to assess their cases and to process them.”
The Court of Appeal overturned an injunction that would have required asylum seekers to leave the Bell Hotel in Epping, following an appeal by the Home Office. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of prioritising “the rights of illegal immigrants over the rights of the British people”, whilst Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed the government had “lost control of Britain’s borders.
Ms Cooper will today announce plans to overhaul the asylum appeals process, with a new panel prioritising cases involving foreign criminals and migrants living in hotels. The government aims to halve processing times from the current average of one year to less than 24 weeks. She is also expected to introduce stricter rules for refugees bringing family members to Britain, including English language requirements.
“We need to end asylum hotels, which means that we have to clear the shocking backlog that the previous Government left us with,” Ms Cooper stated in May. The Home Secretary revealed that the Conservatives had “effectively stopped making the majority of asylum decisions” in the months before the election, creating what she called “asylum Hotel California, where people arrive in the asylum system and they never leave.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp countered that Labour had “presided over the worst year on record for Channel crossings”, noting that numbers in asylum hotels stood at 32,059, higher than at the time of the election. Compare that to the nine months before the election, when the Conservatives cut numbers in hotels by 47 per cent and shut almost 200 sites,” he said.
The housing of asylum seekers costs taxpayers over £8 million daily, according to Lord Davies of Gower speaking in the House of Lords in January. Think tank Policy Exchange estimates the annual cost of the small boats crisis at approximately £3.5 billion.
Musk’s intervention marks his latest clash with the British government, having posted at least 60 attacks on Starmer since Tuesday. The SpaceX founder has previously called the Prime Minister “Keir Starmtrooper” and predicted “civil war is inevitable” in Britain, comments condemned by Starmer’s official spokesman.
Not all Suffolk residents oppose the housing arrangements. Lizzie Simmonds told local media: “Let them have the opportunities that they weren’t given before. There’s a reason they left.” Mid Suffolk district councillor Rowland Warboys confirmed the homes would house asylum seeker families including parents with children, stating the community would “respond very positively to the asylum seekers.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has pledged to end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by 2029. However, with more than 12 councils reportedly preparing legal action against the government over asylum hotels, and protests erupting across the country, Labour’s immigration strategy faces its severest test yet.
As Ms Cooper prepares to address Parliament, the government must balance its international obligations with growing public discontent over immigration numbers that show no signs of abating.
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
