Sky News spoke to an asylum seeker on Thursday who said he was among a group of 45 migrants removed from the Manston immigration center in Kent and taken to Victoria bus station, but was not told where to go after officials . Chris Philp has now confirmed that two groups had stayed in the capital, claiming they had told immigration officials “they had addresses to go to, so friends and family, and that later turned out not to be the case”. Politics Live: No new Stormont election in December, says NI secretary The police minister told Sky News there had been a “misunderstanding”, adding: “How did this misunderstanding come about? Maybe it got lost in translation, I don’t know. But it’s clear now everyone has been taken care of.” Mr Philp also insisted Manston was now legally compliant following court action against the Home Office over conditions at the site. Reports surfaced earlier this week of severe overcrowding, with Manston estimated to be housing 4,000 people compared to the 1,600 it was designed for and claims of “human conditions abuse”, along with cases of MRSA and diphtheria. Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, told Sky News on Wednesday that a judicial review was being launched as a result. However, Mr Philp said significant improvements had been made to the center recently, adding: “I don’t accept the premise that it is not legally compliant today. A lot of changes have been made even in the last few days.” Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:47 An asylum seeker from Manston processing center told Sky News he was left in central London despite having nowhere to go. But he warned there was a “huge challenge” and “radical action” was needed, saying: “Around 40,000 people have entered the UK illegally so far this year on small boats and that’s a huge operational challenge, it’s very, very difficult. to face it. “These trips are completely unnecessary because France is obviously a safe country with a well-functioning asylum system. “These trips don’t need to be made. No one escapes war in France. These trips shouldn’t be made in the first place.” After telling Sky News that the UK was “very generous to people in real need”, Mr Philp later told Times Radio that it was “a bit cheeky” for people entering the country illegally to complain about conditions. Image: Chris Philp said there had been a “misunderstanding” about the teams staying at Victoria Station. Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the government’s whole approach to the issue “lacks any sense of basic competence or compassion”. He told Sky News they needed to abandon “expensive gimmicks” such as sending people to Rwanda and focus on the root causes, including tackling the backlog of asylum cases. “Councils were completely cut off” Meanwhile, a Tory MP has hit out at the Home Office for failing to work with councils when finding accommodation for those arriving by small boat. Council leaders in Kent have already warned that the county is at a “tipping point” as a result of the migrant situation and have written to the home secretary, calling on her to stop using the county as an “easy fix”. But North Devon MP Selaine Saxby told Sky News her own council had been “completely cut out of the decision-making process” about housing people in a hotel in Ilfracombe. He added: “I think where the whole process seems to be going wrong is that councils are not involved in these decisions and local councils are able to know where we can accommodate people safely and securely and work with the their local communities. “That doesn’t seem to be happening at all.”
