The UK Home Office has decided to increase the investigation into abuses against asylum seekers at the Kent accommodation center. Asylum seekers will receive government-funded legal representation just days before the High Court hearing starts.
This decision comes in response to a High Court order requiring the investigation to be independent, public, and to provide funded legal representation for claimants, thereby ensuring effective access to documents. However, the investigation is still not legally recognized. The Home Office has chosen not to comment on the High Court’s order. According to sources within the ministry, the department’s commitment to the investigation is in line with legal requirements and emphasizes addressing inhumane or unprofessional treatment.
The government established the Manston accommodation center in early 2022 as a temporary detention facility to address the growing number of asylum seekers arriving via the English Channel. However, within six months, conditions at the center had deteriorated into chaos.
The shelter was designed to accommodate a maximum of 1,600 people but was used to house more than 4,000, leading to the spread of diseases, particularly scabies and diphtheria. There were also reports of abuses, including forcing asylum seekers to sleep on filthy floors or in cardboard boxes. Women and children were also forced to sleep alongside unfamiliar men, and there were suspicions of guards assaulting asylum seekers.
The Home Office received multiple warnings regarding the shelter crisis. After Kurdish asylum seeker Hussein Hasib died from diphtheria, human rights organizations and asylum seekers demanded a comprehensive investigation into the abuses at the shelter. In March 2024, Conservative Home Secretary James Cleverly approved a public legal inquiry.
The new Home Secretary, Cooper, opted to downgrade the investigation to a non-statutory inquiry that would not require public hearings, citing the need for cost-saving measures. Lawyer Lewis Kett, representing several claimants, emphasized the importance of the investigation, stating, “It will be crucial to ensure lessons are learned and to prevent a repeat of the Manston crisis.”
In a related context, over 100 individuals who were detained in the shelter for more than 24 hours have filed a lawsuit against the Home Office for unlawful detention. This case could potentially cost the government millions of pounds.
A total of 18,000 asylum seekers were detained at the shelter out of 29,000 who were processed between June and November 2022, with the longest detention period reaching 32 days.
