Two of the most senior officials managing the controversial Manston asylum processing centre in Kent have been suspended and are under formal investigation for misconduct, the Guardian can reveal.
Immediate Suspensions and Investigation
Witnesses reported seeing the senior staff members being escorted from the Kent site. Both the Home Office and its contractor Mitie, who employ the suspended individuals, have confirmed the suspensions and ongoing investigation while declining to specify the reasons behind the disciplinary action.
Home Office sources acknowledged awareness of the Mitie staff suspensions but emphasised this remains a matter for the contractor that doesn't affect daily operations at the facility.
A Mitie spokesperson stated: "We hold our people to the highest standards and take allegations about staff misconduct very seriously. Where allegations are made, we will immediately investigate and take appropriate action where necessary."
Mitie sources confirmed that a senior team has been deployed to ensure business continuity at the centre.
Troubled History and Overcrowding Crisis
The suspensions occur against a backdrop of significant challenges at Manston, where many new arrivals are survivors of rape, torture, and traumatic Channel crossings, often presenting with hypothermia and fuel burns from boat engines.
An independent inquiry is currently examining the centre's severe failings during late 2022, when the facility became dangerously overcrowded with approximately 4,000 asylum seekers despite being designed to hold a maximum of 1,600.
The crisis period saw the death of Kurdish asylum seeker Hussein Haseeb Ahmed on 19 November 2022 after he contracted diphtheria at the centre. The facility experienced outbreaks of both scabies and diphtheria, alongside insanitary conditions including toilets overflowing with faeces and allegations of assaults by security staff.
Legal Challenges and Political Fallout
Documents reveal that of the 29,000 people processed at Manston between June and November 2022, approximately 18,000 were detained for periods significantly longer than the intended 24-hour maximum stay.
Home Office officials admitted in court-disclosed documents that "we completely lost our grip" on the situation during this period.
About 200 asylum seekers who were unlawfully detained at Manston are now bringing legal challenges against the government for unlawful detention and related issues.
The independent inquiry may require testimony from two former prime ministers - Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak - and three former home secretaries: Priti Patel, Grant Shapps and Suella Braverman.
Manston has faced multiple scandals including a sixfold annual increase in staff dismissals for failed drug tests and an investigation into racist messages reportedly broadcast at the centre.
