A series of high-ranking former Conservative ministers are facing intense scrutiny over their roles in the 2022 migrant crisis, as an independent inquiry heard that “squalid” and “unlawful” conditions at the Manston holding facility were the result of decisions made at the highest levels of government.
During a second preliminary hearing held in London on Friday 25 September 2026, the Manston Independent Inquiry examined a catalogue of failures at the Kent facility. The site, which was designed to hold a maximum of 1,600 people, saw its population swell to more than 4,000 during the autumn of 2022.
The inquiry chair, Sophie Cartwright KC, highlighted that the investigation is focusing on whether high-level policy choices directly led to chronic overcrowding, infectious disease outbreaks, and reports of racism and excessive force by guards. The inquiry is specifically assessing events at the Manston Short-Term Holding Facility between 1 June and 22 November 2022.
The inquiry has heard testimony that failures at the site, including racism and the use of force, were linked to decisions made at the highest level of government. The proceedings are examining the extent to which ministerial policy choices contributed to the crisis at the facility.
Ministerial Rebuke
A significant development during the hearing involved a formal rebuke of former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick. The inquiry chair expressed frustration over delays in receiving vital evidence, noting that Mr Jenrick had failed to provide a required draft statement or relevant documentation in a timely manner.
While representatives for Mr Jenrick stated that his submission would be provided “in due course,” the delay was cited as a hurdle to the inquiry’s progress. The investigation aims to determine why detainees were held for weeks in tents despite the site having an intended capacity of 1,600.
The human cost of the crisis was also brought to the forefront of the hearing. The inquiry is investigating the death of 31-year-old Hussein Haseeb Ahmed, who died of diphtheria in November 2022 after being held at the facility. His death followed widespread reports of scabies and diphtheria outbreaks among the thousands of asylum seekers detained at the site.
Scale of the Failures
Legal representatives for the more than 200 asylum seekers participating in the inquiry argued that the conditions were not merely an administrative failure but a “humanitarian crisis” manufactured by political decisions. Testimony indicated that the use of force by private security contractors and allegations of racially motivated mistreatment were “systemic” during the peak of the overcrowding.
The inquiry is working to establish a timeline of ministerial briefings to understand when the government became aware that the facility had exceeded its legal and safe capacity. According to the Manston Independent Inquiry, the next phase of the process will involve assessing the need for further expert evidence before full public hearings begin.
The Home Office has previously acknowledged that the 2022 situation at Manston was “unacceptable,” though the inquiry will now determine where the legal and moral responsibility for those conditions lies. No date has yet been finalised for the conclusion of the inquiry or the publication of its final report.
