The British town where homeless men sleep rough opposite a migrant hotel

Walking around a near-empty Hull city centre on a quiet, drizzly Tuesday afternoon, it is difficult to imagine that just eight months ago it was ablaze with far-right riots. The historic port city was thrust into the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons, as shop windows were smashed in and bricks hurled at mosques.

Less than a year on, and the city has once again faded from the nation’s consciousness. The Lush cosmetics store, which was emptied out by opportunistic looters, has been repaired to new, and people are once again dealing with their daily trials. However it’s clear that the discontent, anger and financial woes that culminated in last year’s riots have gone nowhere. Two issues repeatedly come up speaking to residents in both Hull, and the city’s leafy outskirts - migrants and benefits.

Multiple hotels in the city centre have been appropriated for that exact use, including the grand Royal Hotel, where Queen Victoria stayed in 1854.

Sitting opposite its grand visage, a white British homeless man cannot comprehend why the council and the government have given illegal migrants free accommodation, while he sleeps rough.

John, 50, voiced sadness and resentment at being allowed to slip through the country’s welfare safety net following a divorce and health complications.

In the village of Cottingham, an elderly couple reveal they went on a local protest march when there was a threat that other former student halls in the large village was also on track to become more migrant accommodation.

A shop owner on the high street says that while he personally refuses to pay any attention to politics, his wife is a big fan of Tommy Robinson, hardline media personality Katie Hopkins and Nigel Farage.

In a Cafe Nero in Hull, a man inquires about our trip to the city before quietly saying “I’m a fascist” and performing a Nazi salute.

The riots may have faded, but political extremism, and the government failures that fuel such fury, are still here.

It’s clear homelessness, benefits and poverty are a massive issue here too, thus underlining the huge political risk being made by Rachel Reeves’ recent welfare cuts with Reform breathing down Labour’s neck in parts of the country like this.

Aaron, 22, voted Labour last year, but appeared intrigued by Nigel Farage and his local celebrity candidate, boxer Luke Campbell.

He says he’s on Universal Credit and has only just been awarded personal independence payment for his mental and physical health, although didn’t address Rachel Reeves’ recent cut to the budget.

Another passing local raises the recent benefit cuts unprompted, voicing concerns that while she’s not on PIP she may be affected by the changes.

Margaret, 63, says she often visits local homeless shelters and is eyeing opening up a business to help people navigate the bureaucracy getting in the way of accessing financial support from the council and the government.

The state of the high street is also at the forefront of locals’ minds. While wealthier areas like Cottingham and Beverly have avoided the worst of recent years, Hull city centre is filled with empty shop fronts, and the loss of both M&S and House of Fraser in particular hit hard.

In the place has been the ever-growing numbers of vape shops, Turkish barbers and Vietnamese-run nail salons, which raise consternation and disappointment from locals.

Rachel Reeves’ National Insurance hike will not help parts of the country like this, though Cottingham florists owner Lucy insists that recent years having to cope with Covid, a mini recession and other instabilities mean she is braced to weather the storm.

“To be honest, we’ve been here nearly 15 years during which time we’ve had Covid, we had a slight recession when we opened. Because we can keep our prices at a reasonable price, even more reasonable than some of the supermarkets, we tend to ride it out.

“I’m hopeful that we can ride it out in future.”

Cottingham locals bemoaned that there are now five or six Turkish barbers in the village, asserting they are a “sham” and a cover up for other dealings.

“It’s a front, it’s a money laundering exercise… why do the local council allow them to open?”

Hull City Centre is home to an often overlooked piece of English history - the gates at which the civil war began when the town’s governor refused entry to King Charles I.

It’s still clear that the region has a distinctive, and often anti-establishment mindset.

The question is whether this current government’s failings help the likes of Nigel Farage and Reform, or whether an uglier politics as seen last summer re-emerges.