'We WON'T BACK DOWN! - Crowborough takes on Mahmood over 'DANGEROUS' migrant camp скачать в хорошем качестве

'We WON'T BACK DOWN! - Crowborough takes on Mahmood over 'DANGEROUS' migrant camp

A defiant mum has warned Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood her community "won't be bullied" into accepting a migrant camp she branded a "simulated war zone" on the edge of a protected forest. Kim Bailey, 44, a mother of four and director of the Community Interest Company Crowborough Shield, is spearheading a legal battle against the Government's decision to house up to 600 asylum seekers at the former cadet training centre in Ashdown Forest. Speaking exclusively ahead of a crucial High Court hearing on Wednesday, Ms Bailey said: "She'd already evicted the cadets from the training centre. This is not a disused army barracks, as she was claiming; this is actually the most-used cadet training facility in the Southeast.” The site, owned by the Ministry of Defence and managed by contractor Clearsprings, was repurposed under emergency provisions typically reserved for wartime or natural disasters. Ms Bailey argues this bypasses democratic processes and ignores local planning laws that strictly limit development in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Ms Bailey told The Express yesterday: "If this Home Secretary can develop a policy that wholly relies on evoking emergency powers—powers reserved for times of war or natural disasters—then something is fundamentally wrong. If we don't get permission to go forward tomorrow, it sends a sad message that this Government can do what they want without scrutiny. We don't vote to be ruled; we vote for representation. That thought terrifies me." The hearing, set for 10.30am, will determine whether Crowborough Shield can proceed to a full judicial review. The group is also seeking a £10,000 cost cap to shield them from crippling legal fees if they lose, and an order forcing Mahmood to disclose key documents. Ms Bailey explained: "She's contesting all of those points. What she's saying is that we submitted our application prematurely because she hadn't made a decision until seven hours before the asylum seekers were actually moved into the camp. Now, we know that's not true." Read Daily Express: https://www.express.co.uk Like Daily Express on Facebook:   / dailyexpress   Follow Daily Express on X: https://x.com/Daily_Express Follow Daily Express on Instagram:   / dailyexpress   #DailyExpress #News #shabanamahmood #immigration #migrantcrisis #illegalimmigration #smallboats #asylumseekers #ukpolitics #crowborough #labour