An independent inquiry heard that ministerial choices to halt onward transfers turned a short-stay processing site into an unlawful, dangerous holding facility where people slept on floors, fell ill and faced racist language and use of force.
Manston was designed for short stays and up to 1,600 arrivals, but ministers paused transfers and the site held as many as 4,000 people for weeks.
Overcrowding led to insanitary conditions, outbreaks of infectious disease including diphtheria, and at least one death linked to delayed care.
Inquiry evidence included allegations of racist abuse by staff, use of force on detainees, unvetted workers, and potential unlawful operation of the site.
# What happened at Manston
The Manston arrivals and processing centre, a former military site in Kent, was meant for very short stays and to hold a maximum of around 1,600 new arrivals. Between June and November 2022 the centre became vastly overcrowded after ministers paused transfers of many people on to other accommodation, such as hotels. The independent Manston inquiry heard that at the peak of the crisis up to 4,000 people were held there for several weeks.
# Conditions and immediate harms
Barrack-style rooms held large numbers of people in cramped conditions. One example given to the inquiry: 60 families squeezed into 11 rooms with no hot water or showers for nine days, one toilet for 81 people, and a lack of soap or sanitiser. Makeshift measures to treat bites and wounds were reported.
# Allegations about staff conduct and safety
The inquiry heard allegations of assaults and drug use by guards and claims that very racist language was used towards detainees by some staff. There were also questions about whether some staff working at Manston had been properly vetted and whether they were legally employed there.
A senior Home Office official wrote a report describing the conditions as the worst he had observed working in that environment. Legal representatives for participants told the inquiry the treatment amounted to being treated "as less than human," and questioned the institutional culture and compliance with legal protections.
# Government decision-making and funding
Counsel to the inquiry described the situation as occurring in a "crucible of hostility" while small boat arrivals were a politically charged issue. The inquiry will consider whether, at certain points, the operation at Manston was outside the law.
# What the inquiry is examining next
Almost 200 asylum seekers detained at Manston are participating in the inquiry, alongside senior politicians and multiple government departments: Home Office, Treasury, Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Defence, plus HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the UK Health Security Agency. The inquiry will continue to hear evidence and determine whether ministerial decisions and the operation of the site breached legal obligations.
# Immediate factual takeaways
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