An overcrowded migrant reception centre, where a man died, raises “very serious questions” for ministers in the former Conservative government, including two home secretaries and former prime ministers, an inquiry has heard.
The Manston centre in Kent became overwhelmed in November 2022 at the height of the small boats crisis, with around 4,000 people held there.
Home Office officials knew conditions were unlawful and children were at risk of harm, but had no alternative plan for where to accommodate them, the inquiry heard on Friday.
Former Home Secretaries Dame Priti Patel and Suella Braverman shared in preliminary evidence that Number 10 was involved in decisions made at the time.
The Manston centre, a former military site near Dover, was converted into an emergency holding facility for cross-channel migrants in early 2022, as small boat crossings began to soar.
It was designed to hold up to around 1,000 people at any one time and for no longer than a legal limit of 24 hours.
But by November 2022, thousands of people were sleeping in marquees and it was apparent that there was disease, illness and no adequate care for children traumatised by crossing the English Channel.
During this critical period, the government was hoping that it could eventually send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
As the number of detainees grew, doctors identified diphtheria was present – and that 31-year-old Iraqi Hussein Haseeb Ahmed was suspected of suffering from the highly dangerous disease, the preparatory inquiry hearing heard on Friday.
He was not immediately taken to hospital, but died on 19 November at 05:30 after he was admitted to hospital as his condition deteriorated.
“He was handcuffed until around 2am,” Claire Dobbin KC, the inquiry’s lead lawyer, said.
“His handcuffing in hospital at a point when he must have been close to death, all require separate examination.”
At one stage, some 81 families were sharing one toilet with babies, children, teenagers and adults sharing the same space despite clear safety concerns, she said.
Some detainees had visible wounds. One person, who was not given medical care, was using a plastic croissant wrapper as a dressing.
“The position of children is a matter of great concern,” said Dobbin.
“Generally the circumstances in which children can be detained in England are very limited indeed.”
Dobbin added that one senior official at the Home Office told colleagues that the conditions were the worst he had seen in 20 years.
He wrote in an email: “Political decisions have forced hard-working officials and suppliers into an impossible position. This will end up as a public inquiry and rightly.”
Other witnesses have said there was racism, hostility and aggression towards the detainees from some staff, with some accused of threatening to withhold meals from people who wanted to use the toilet.
“The body of evidence raises very serious questions for senior officials and ministers as to how the detention of children in these conditions was tolerated on humanitarian or legal grounds,” said Dobbin.
Two former home secretaries involved in the Manston decision-making – Dame Priti and Braverman – have already provided evidence that will be examined in depth in future hearings.
Braverman’s personal legal representative – who is paid for by the government – gave no statement on her behalf during Friday’s session.
But the inquiry heard she had already explained in written submissions that Number 10 had been aware of the situation at Manston and that the decision to pause using hotels had led to the overcrowding.
It was also told there had been “prolonged periods of disengagement” from Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister in late 2022, although he had provided a statement.
It is not clear yet whether former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak will be asked to give evidence about their roles.
The inquiry team will now continue gathering evidence with the date for full hearings yet to be fixed.
