Manston Detention Centre Inquiry Rebukes Former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick

The Manston inquiry, set up to examine the detention of asylum seekers at a Kent military base from 1 June 2022 to 22 November 2022, rebuked former Conservative immigration minister Robert Jenrick for not providing a statement on the centre’s conditions. Chair Sophie Cartwright KC said repeated requests were ignored and the deadline has passed.

The Guardian

Manston opened in 2022 to process small-boat arrivals, a year with 46,000 entries. Designed for 1,600 people for stays under 24 hours, the site housed 4,000 detainees at its peak. Reports noted overflowing toilets, floor-level sleeping, scabies and diphtheria outbreaks, and the death of asylum seeker Hussein Haseeb Ahmed from diphtheria on 19 November 2022.

The Guardian

Chair Sophie Cartwright said the inquiry relies on cooperation and has repeatedly asked Jenrick for a written account, which remains absent. A Reform UK spokesperson said Jenrick’s statement will be provided “in due course” and called the inquiry driven, noting it was commissioned by Labour rather than the government.

The Guardian

Seema Syeda of Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants condemned Jenrick for overseeing a “Victorian-era system” that led to Ahmed’s death and described the detention conditions as “fit for neither humans nor animals.” She linked the case to a legal challenge launched at the end of 2022 that alleges systemic cruelty and health-standard breaches.

The Guardian

The inquiry has not received Jenrick’s statement, leaving a gap in the official record of policy decisions and mitigation actions. Its non-statutory status prevents it from compelling testimony, and the precise link between detention conditions and Ahmed’s death remains unverified publicly.

The Guardian

• “These issues raise questions for former government ministers including the Rt Hon Mr Jenrick MP.” — Sophie Cartwright KC, Inquiry Chair

The Guardian

• “Many months have passed without any certainty as to whether or when he will provide a statement,” — Sophie Cartwright KC, Inquiry Chair

The Guardian

• “Robert’s written statement will be with the inquiry in due course. It is telling that Labour commissioned an inquiry into the detention of illegal migrants, and not into the daily harm illegal migration is inflicting on the British people.” — Reform UK spokesperson

The Guardian

The inquiry will continue to request Jenrick’s testimony while the legal challenge proceeds, and the findings may shape future UK immigration-detention policy reviews.

The Guardian