Manston inquiry counsel questions ministers over children’s detention

Former Conservative ministers and senior officials face “very serious questions” over the detention of children at Manston, inquiry counsel Clair Dobbin KC said at a preliminary hearing on 25 September 2026, the BBC reported. [1]

Dobbin questioned how children’s detention in those conditions had been tolerated on humanitarian or legal grounds. She described some 81 families sharing one toilet, with babies, children, teenagers and adults occupying the same space despite safety concerns. [1]

Around 4,000 people were held at the Kent migrant processing centre in November 2022. Inspectors who visited that July had described a non-residential facility designed for stays of no more than 24 hours, with no beds or access to fresh air or exercise. They considered the accommodation suitable for short-term detention at that earlier visit and recognised staff efforts to create a calm atmosphere. [1] [8]

Ministerial decisions

The BBC reported that former home secretaries Dame Priti Patel and Suella Braverman had described Downing Street’s involvement in decisions at the time in preliminary evidence. Braverman’s written submissions said the prime minister’s office knew about the situation at Manston and that a decision to pause hotel use had led to overcrowding. Her legal representative made no statement on her behalf at the September hearing. [1]

In a Commons statement on 31 October 2022, Braverman denied personally blocking hotel accommodation or ignoring legal advice. She said the speed of arrivals made it practically impossible to procure more than 1,000 beds at short notice, citing competing demands for accommodation, including for Ukrainians, Afghans and people needing social housing. [7]

The hearing also heard of “prolonged periods of disengagement” by Robert Jenrick, immigration minister in late 2022, the BBC reported. The inquiry confirmed that his representatives supplied an initial draft witness statement on 22 June, after it had publicly raised concerns about delays earlier that month. [1] [2]

Questions over a death in hospital

The inquiry is also examining the death of Hussein Haseeb Ahmed on 19 November 2022, which it has described as involving complications arising from diphtheria. [2]

Ahmed, a 31-year-old Iraqi, was not immediately taken to hospital but was later admitted as his condition deteriorated, the BBC reported. He died at 05:30. Dobbin said he had remained handcuffed until around 02:00 and that the use of restraints in hospital so close to his death required examination. [1]