Epping Hotel, the ECHR and a Dawn Beyond the Darkness

Introduction: A Nation at a Crossroads

crossroads Discussing the decision of the Appeal Court to allow migrants to dwell at the Epping Hotel with my wife has made me realise there are different perspectives that we can take.

For my wife, like many, many other ordinary Britons it has generated outrage, frustration and dismay. Not against the concept of migration, but against a process that places the interests of illegal immigrants over those of ordinary people who feel robbed of care, money and resources, all to feed a philosophy, an ideology that seems set on destroying the Britain we have grown up in. For many, it feels like yet another sign that our voices are ignored, our communities undermined, and our nation stripped of its right to govern itself. To those of us who cherish Britain’s Christian heritage and long for a return to moral clarity, it feels like darkness deepening over the land.

However, from a biblical perspective, darkness is not the end; indeed, it is often the stage on which God begins to move in power. Just as the darkest hour precedes the dawn, so moments of apparent defeat may, in fact, mark the beginning of divine intervention.

My perspective, which I hope offers a Christian reflection on the Epping Hotel ruling, draws on Scripture, historical perspective, and prophetic insight. It is built upon three lines of thought that reveal to me why this judgment may actually signal the first glimmers of dawn; a dawn pointing to Britain’s eventual freedom from European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) domination and a return to sensible governance rooted in biblical truth.

Yet Christ reigns supreme, and His Word still speaks into the affairs of nations.

As the Apostle Paul reminds us, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12). Behind the legal language and political theatre, there are real spiritual forces at work – influences shaping laws, steering leaders, and hardening bureaucracies against righteousness. Yet Christ reigns supreme, and His Word still speaks into the affairs of nations.

The Judgement Reveals Leadership Without Empathy

The ruling is an emphatic sign that Sir Clearly Startled – sorry, Sir Keir Starmer – and those around him, indeed even our King, lacks empathy for, and sympathy with, ordinary Britons. Their policies are conceived in political chambers far removed from the daily realities of working families, pensioners and vulnerable communities. The decision to place migrants in the Epping Hotel, and others, without meaningful consultation or consideration of local impact, shows a leadership class unwilling to listen and/or unable to care.

Biblical Warnings Against Unrighteous Rulers

Proverbs 29:2 states plainly: “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Britain is groaning today. Communities groan under the strain of uncontrolled migration, rising crime, overwhelmed services, relentless taxes and the erosion of local identity.

Isaiah 1:23 speaks of leaders in ancient Judah who had abandoned justice: “Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them.” Just as Judah’s rulers neglected the vulnerable, today’s leaders often prioritise ideology, international approval and political advantage over compassion for their own people.

Today’s leaders often prioritise ideology, international approval and political advantage over compassion for their own people.

The Spiritual Dimension

Such hardened leadership does not arise by accident. Romans 1:21-25 explains that when people, or nations, refuse to acknowledge God, He may give them over to their own corrupt desires and futile thinking. Leaders who exalt human wisdom above divine truth eventually lose their moral compass. What seems like political stubbornness is often a spiritual blindness.

This blindness is not permanent. God raises up deliverers in times of crisis. He humbled Pharaoh, overthrew Nebuchadnezzar’s pride, and raised Cyrus to liberate His people. In Britain’s present turmoil, we can expect the Lord to expose false shepherds and prepare leaders who will fear Him rather than foreign courts or fashionable ideologies.

The Civil Service: The Hidden Hand Behind the Curtain

Behind every government stands an entrenched civil service, unelected, unaccountable, and increasingly hostile to traditional British values. The Epping Hotel case reveals a deeper problem: officials believe themselves to be the true rulers of Britain, immune from democratic correction.

Scripture on Corrupt Bureaucracy
Isaiah 10:1-2 thunders against those who manipulate law and policy: “Woe to those who decree iniquitous decrees, and the writers who keep writing oppression, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right.”

A civil service that writes policies in defiance of both elected government and popular will is not neutral. It is exercising power without accountability, and power without accountability is a breeding ground for injustice.

The Unseen Spiritual Influences

Daniel 10 gives us a rare glimpse into the heavenly dimension of earthly politics. Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days, but an angel sent to deliver God’s message was delayed by “the prince of Persia”, a spiritual power influencing the Persian empire (Dan 10:13). This shows that political and bureaucratic structures are not merely human; they can be instruments of unseen forces.

A civil service that writes policies in defiance of both elected government and popular will is not neutral.

When faceless officials steer national policy against righteousness and common sense, they may be under such influences. Yet these powers are not absolute. Psalm 33:10 assures us: “YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.” What seems like an impregnable wall of bureaucracy can fall in a moment when God intervenes.

Britain’s Freedom by Breaking with the European Court of Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was born from post-war optimism, but its modern agenda is aggressively secular and globalist. Its judgments often undermine the sovereignty of nations, imposing foreign ideologies upon local communities.

Britain cannot reclaim purpose, identity or moral clarity while shackled to this court. Its very existence erodes the God-given right of nations to govern themselves in righteousness.

Scriptural Insight on Foreign Domination
Psalm 2:2 describes the nations: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against YHWH and against his Anointed.” When institutions, whether European or global, dictate laws contrary to biblical morality, they reveal their rebellion against Christ.

Isaiah 28:17 declares: “I will make justice the line, and righteousness the plumb line; and hail will sweep away the refuge of lies.” The ECHR has become such a refuge, a fortress for unjust decrees and alien values. God will not allow this to stand forever.

A Coming Shaking

Hebrews 12:26-27 promises that God shakes nations to remove what is false so that only what is unshakable remains. Britain’s entanglement with the ECHR is being exposed as unsustainable. This ruling may hasten the day when Britain decisively severs ties with foreign legal control and rediscovers its Christian heritage.

The darkness over Britain is very real, but I pray it is the prelude to a divine awakening.

A Prophetic Assessment

From a prophetic perspective, this moment is not a defeat but an unveiling. God is showing us:

Britain’s rulers have lost compassion for their own people.
Civil servants are acting as an unaccountable power bloc.
Foreign institutions are eroding sovereignty and truth.

But God exposes in order to redeem. As with ancient Israel, exposure precedes restoration. Isaiah 60:1-2 says: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of YHWH has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but YHWH will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.”

The darkness over Britain is very real, but I pray it is the prelude to a divine awakening.

Five Prayer Points

For righteous leadership: That God would raise leaders who fear Him, listen to His Word, and defend Britain’s people (Prov 29:2).
For the exposure of ungodly influence: That every hidden agenda in government and civil service would be revealed and overthrown (Eph 5:11).
For deliverance from foreign control: That Britain would break free from the ECHR and rediscover sovereign law rooted in Biblical justice (Ps 33:12).
For national repentance and revival: That Britain would turn from secularism and renew its covenant heritage in Christ (2 Chron 7:14).
For wisdom and courage in the Church: That Christians would speak boldly, pray fervently, and proclaim the Gospel of Christ’s Kingdom in this hour (James 1:5).

Scripture References Used
Ephesians 6:12; Proverbs 29:2; Isaiah 1:23; Romans 1:21-25; Isaiah 10:1-2; Daniel 10:13; Psalm 33:10; Psalm 2:2; Isaiah 28:17; Hebrews 12:26-27; Isaiah 60:1-2; Ephesians 5:11; Psalm 33:12; 2 Chronicles 7:14; James 1:5.

Nick Thompson, 02/09/2025

Feedback:

	Michael Petek	04/09/2025 14:28
I think that the fuss over the Court of Appeal's decision in regard to the Epping hotel is overblown. What the case was about, was an interim injunction that the High Court had put in place pending a hearing of the substantive merits in October. It was based on a claim by Epping Council that the use of a hotel as a centre for housing migrants is a breach of planning law. That claim is likely to succeed. All that has happened is that the owners of the hotel are not bound to evict the resident migrants by 12 September. What the Council can do, though, is to impose a Public Spaces Protection Order applicable to the residents should they end up being allowed to stay.
	Nick Thompson (Guest)	04/09/2025 14:56
I like your input Michael, my sense is that you bring a logical intellect that is insightful. However, I do wonder if you have feel for the emotional response of people, or indeed for the things of the spirit. I was a member of the CBI South West Regional Council at the time of, and run-up to the EU Referendum. I listened incredulously as my fellow council members logically talk through their intellectual arguments as expressed in 'Project Fear', and I warned them not to underestimate the great British people and the resilience that allows them to fight against the odds. My counsel would be nlto never underestimate the power of emotional triggers.
	Michael Petek	04/09/2025 15:49
The problem is precisely emotions. Exorcists tell us that we should absolutely never follow our emotions in spiritual matters, as evil spirits have access to them, as to our lower faculties - not, however to the intellect or the will. I also think that the preoccupation with removing the Human Rights Act 1998 is also beside the point. Which rights would you discard as being incompatible with the law of God? The Public Law Project has a paper on its website, Common Law Rights by Michael Fordham QC of Blackstone Chambers. He points out that Lord Hoffmann explained: “much of the Convention reflects the common law” (Simms at 131H, referring to Derbyshire County Council v Times Newspapers Ltd [1993] AC 534, 551). And the common law is itself rooted in Christian ethics.
	Carol (Guest)	05/09/2025 12:19
I understand the desire to remove UK law from the dominance of the ECHR and to ensure UK law is sovereign. However because of previous political settlements there is a danger that if the UK left the ECHR Northern Ireland might end up still under ECHR authority, just as it currently remains in the EU single market and subject to EU regulations following Brexit. Withdrawal is not simple - the effects, implications and the how of withdrawal or suspension must be considered and addressed both prayerfully and intelligently.
	Michael Petek	05/09/2025 13:17
There's a lot of concern about "sovereignty" in this discussion. The fact that a nation is capable of concluding treaties with foreign states is a demonstration that it is sovereign. The ECHR is an international treaty, which means that the Strasbourg court is an organ of international dispute resolution. But what is the point in abrogating the Convention when much of the Convention reflects the common law of England, and where the perceived mischief in relation to border control may be traceable to activist judges?
	Nick Thompson (Guest)	05/09/2025 14:46
When I was praying and reflecting writing the article sovereignty was not a term or idea that was on my mind, the idea was freedom from the satanically driven clutches of Babel&tyle NGO's and organisations. In the bible commentary I am working on the thread that knits it all together is YHWH's sovereignty. YHWH reigns regardless how the schemes of the world are working. All it takes is for us as God's people is to look to Him
	Sam Lancaster (Guest)	06/09/2025 15:33
The legalities of this or of that are firmly rooted in The World. My past 15 years of being led by The Word , wholly in The Spirit , show me precisely what Our Sovereign Lord God desires of each nation of the still United Kingdom. All of the darkness that now is ready to engulf the nation of England (by the way oh so precious to the Triune Majesty) has been ordained and only a national call to Repentance Will turn away the current seemingly all powerful Unholy Trilogy of Rampant Secularism, Cultural Marxism and Strident Islam that seeks only the overthrow of our Christian faith and national history. BUT our God will most certainly not be defeated. The wicked will be exposed by new leadership, from ordinary men and women outside current church hierarchy’s. Bring on the Darkness and it’s utter Defeat.
	Janet Peck (Guest)	06/09/2025 19:33
I have understood that to take back control of immigration, it is the Council of Europe, we need to leave. Also, of course the ECHR.