Overview
- Six legal teams say clients were held beyond the 24-hour limit at the Kent site in 2022 and suffered degrading conditions, including disease outbreaks and denial of medical care.
- Allegations include sexual and physical abuse, theft by guards, racist language, punitive isolation, family separation, and limited phone access, according to claimant lawyers.
- A public inquiry into events from June to November 2022 is under way and could call senior figures, though it is non-statutory and has constrained powers.
- Standard payouts for unlawful detention are typically about £500 per extra day, with a recent precedent awarding £203,995 for prolonged unlawful detention and degrading treatment.
- Ministers are reviewing wider use of military sites for asylum accommodation, with defence minister Luke Pollard indicating Manston’s role could be expanded beyond short-term processing.