Robert Jenrick said the legal action had been launched following reports of severe overcrowding at the center in Kent, which is meant to accommodate 1,600 people but has accommodated around 4,000 migrants, according to MPs. He told The Take with Sophy Ridge programme: “I think we have made the initial contact for judicial review. “This is not unusual, this is an area of policy with a lot of difference, but of course, as the responsible minister, I want to ensure that everything we do is carried out appropriately and within the law.” Mr Jenrick said he could not reveal who brought the judicial review as it was legally sensitive, but Sky News understands the Home Office has received the pre-action protocol letter for judicial review and the department will respond “in due course time”. The immigration minister said he expected Manston to return to a “legally compliant site” soon – implying the site does not currently meet its legal obligations as a migrant processing site as the government faces a legal battle over it. Judicial reviews determine the legality of a decision or action taken by a public body, in this case the Home Office. It takes about three to five months to make a decision, but an injunction can stop the action immediately. News of judicial review comes as follows: • Lib Dem MP Michael Carmichael told the Commons that Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she did not want to “prematurely release” migrants into local communities with nowhere to stay – but there were reports that a bus full of Manston migrants had been “abandoned” in Victoria Station last night • Kent and Medway council chiefs have written to the home secretary to urge her to stop using the county as an ‘easy fix’ as they say they are under ‘disproportionate pressure’ because of their location – and there are no more school places for the year seven and nine local children due to the unplanned arrival of refugee children • Four senior MPs, chairmen of influential committees, called on Ms Braverman to explain how the government will tackle the immigration crisis as they expressed their “deep concerns” about the “deplorable” conditions at Manston • Albania’s PM hits out at UK government for blaming Albanians for migrant crisis
Emergency minister admits what’s happening at Manston is not legal – ahead of court battle
Sam Coates
Associate political editor @SamCoatesSky Robert Jenrick confirmed that the government will now have to justify, in court, why what it did was legal. He told The Take with Sophy Ridge: “I expect Manston will be returned to a functioning and legally compliant site very quickly.” I thought that was excellent – this sounds an awful lot like a minister sitting here admitting that what is happening in Manston in Kent is not legal – as the Government is going to face a battle on this very point in court. Whether this will play into the legal arguments remains to be seen. Mr. Jenrick also spoke of good predictions. Turn it around, he means the bad weather forecast because over the weekend the great weather allowed a lot of people to come in small boats. That put this extraordinary pressure, layered on chronic systemic issues – people sleeping on floors, in chairs. He denied that the scab reported at Manston was a consequence of what was happening there, but clearly there is a big problem with a lot to fix. This all ties into a difficult political area for the government, but right now, remember that Suella Braverman was given legal advice that sources say she ignored about the conditions at Manston – which she denies. For a minister to basically admit that what was going on inside Manston was illegal is a big problem. Hungry migrants in flip flops are left at the station As the judicial review was confirmed by Mr Jenrick, details emerged of the Manston migrants who were left at Victoria station last night. The group of 11 men were flown to the capital from Kent on Tuesday as part of a larger group, according to the Guardian. Volunteers from the homeless charity Under One Sky, which provided them with food and clothing, said many were in flip-flops and without winter coats. “They were stressed, disturbed and completely disoriented,” said volunteer Danial Abbas. “They were also very hungry.” A British Transport Police spokesman said they responded to reports of a group of asylum seekers seeking help at Victoria station at 10.33pm on Tuesday night, with officers liaising with charity partners, rail staff and government staff to help them find accommodation. . Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:39 Man discovers nephew is in Manston by paper “Expect Manston to be legally compliant soon” Mr Jenrick, who was appointed immigration minister just last week by Rishi Sunak, said he was working with Ms Braverman to reduce the number of people and also the length of their stay at Manston – which is intended to be just 24 hours , but it was much more in some cases. He added: “So in my week in office I have tried to work day and night to ensure that the Manston site is not just legally compliant, but a humane and compassionate place where we welcome these migrants, treat them appropriately and they then quickly leave for alternative accommodation. “I’m pleased to say that this is the path we’re on tonight, the numbers at Manston have dropped very significantly since the weekend we became aware of the specific issues and got involved so directly. “I think we’re on a path now where within a few days, assuming we don’t see too many migrants crossing the Channel – I don’t think that will happen as we have good weather forecasts and other information from northern France. “I expect that Manston will very quickly be returned to an orderly and legally compliant site.” Image: There are around 30 temporary marquees housing migrants in Manston, Kent This is the construction of the Conservatives Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The Conservative government has no excuse. They have been warned about these problems for months and have not taken action. “These problems are entirely their own – their decision-making has broken down, so the backlog has grown and they clearly haven’t planned or followed legal advice properly. “We need urgent answers about what the Home Secretary knew and when. The Prime Minister promised integrity and professionalism but all they have shown is the opposite. This is an absolute mess and they need to get under control urgently.” Labour’s shadow police minister Sarah Jones told Sky News it was no surprise the judicial review was launched and Manston was “working well until five weeks ago when the Home Secretary decided not to add extra hotels” to house migrants. Mr Jenrick denied taking over from Ms Braverman in dealings with Manston after he was accused of failing to listen to legal advice which said migrants from Manston should be sent to hotels after being processed within a day of their arrival . She herself denied this in parliament on Tuesday. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 0:41 Migrants “threaten to harm themselves” “We are working extremely closely together, we have procured more hotels, extra support, brilliant officers from the Border Force supported by contractors and the armed forces,” added Mr Jenrick. A Home Office spokeswoman told Sky News: “The number of people arriving in the UK via small boats has reached record levels and continues to put our asylum system under incredible pressure. “Manston remains equipped and resourced to process migrants safely and we will provide alternative accommodation as soon as possible. “We urge anyone thinking of leaving a safe country and risking their lives in the hands of criminal people smugglers to think again. Despite what they have been told, they will not be allowed to start a new life here.”
