Nearly 200 asylum seekers are seeking millions of pounds in compensation from the UK Home Office over claims of unlawful detention and mistreatment at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent.
The asylum seekers, who arrived in the UK via the English Channel, have filed legal claims under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), alleging they were held in inhumane conditions for longer than the legally permitted 24-hour period. The claims cite overcrowding, denial of medical care, forced family separations, and widespread outbreaks of disease including scabies and diphtheria.
Some also report suffering physical and sexual abuse, theft of personal belongings by guards, and being subjected to racist language and isolation as punishment. Lawyers representing the migrants say their clients were detained in cold, unsanitary tents, often forced to sleep on the floor with only thin blankets and little access to hygiene facilities.
The standard compensation for unlawful detention stands at £500 per 24-hour period, but courts may award aggravated or exemplary damages in severe cases. In one notable case last year, a migrant detained at Brook House removal centre for three months received £203,995 after being subjected to degrading treatment.
With an estimated 18,000 people passing through Manston between June and November 2022, the Home Office could be exposed to a flood of further claims if widespread violations are proven.
The Home Office has already launched a public inquiry into the conditions at Manston during that five-month period, amid internal concerns that the situation could be reputationally damaging for the department.
At its peak, Manston housed over 4,000 migrants, more than triple its official capacity. The inquiry is expected to examine the actions of multiple senior figures, including former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, as well as former Home Secretaries Priti Patel, Suella Braverman, and Grant Shapps.
Internal Home Office documents reportedly show officials were warned that the prolonged detention of migrants at the site could be unlawful. Despite this, ministers allegedly allowed the conditions to continue.
A Home Office briefing note has acknowledged multiple serious allegations, including, A death in custody, unlawful detention of both adults and children, theft and misconduct by officials, potential breaches of ECHR obligations and child safeguarding laws, violations of fire safety, health, food hygiene, and planning regulations.
Six leading law firms are representing the 194 claimants so far, including those who successfully challenged the UK government’s Rwanda deportation plan in the Supreme Court.
According to Deighton Pierce Glynn, one of the firms involved, the migrants were locked in vans as punishment, denied access to phones, and some even attempted self-harm using barbed wire.
Manston is currently used as a short-term processing site for migrants arriving via small boats, but Defence Minister Luke Pollard recently suggested its role could be expanded to house migrants currently staying in hotels, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s broader plans to repurpose military sites for asylum accommodation.
Critics argue that the government’s handling of Manston reflects systemic failures in immigration policy and the treatment of vulnerable individuals seeking asylum.
While the Home Office has not admitted wrongdoing, it confirmed that it will not comment on ongoing legal proceedings or the public inquiry.
A spokesperson said,“It would be inappropriate to comment while the inquiry into events at Manston between June and November 2022, and any related litigation, are ongoing.”
The inquiry’s findings along with potential court rulings could have wide-ranging implications for the government’s immigration strategy and accountability for past treatment of asylum seekers.
