Politicians of all colours talk about the United Kingdom having a proud history of offering sanctuary to those in need and welcoming immigrants. Priti Patel said it on a number of occasions when she was home secretary, and so did Rishi Sunak when campaigning to become prime minister. So how can it be that people who fled persecution in Iran and Afghanistan or bloodshed in Syria are being detained for over a week, sleeping on floors and catching diseases such as scabies and diphtheria? And how can it be that the home secretary, Suella Braverman, has used such inflammatory language, accusing them of “invading” the UK?
It’s difficult not to conclude that this is a situation of the government’s own making. Robert Jenrick, the new immigration minister, has insisted that there was no way the government could have predicted the extent of the recent rise in attempts to cross the Channel. Yet towards the end of last year officials told ministers to expect as many as 60,000 arrivals in 2022. The message was clear. Contingency plans needed to be made to ensure that resources, capacity and facilities were in place to respond. After inspecting reception arrangements in Dover late last year, Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, stated that “contingency planning should ensure there is an effective response to fluctuating numbers and rapid mobilisation of resources whenever necessary”.
