Manston asylum inquiry hears failures linked to Number 10 decisions

The independent inquiry into the overcrowded Manston asylum centre has heard that failings, including unlawful conditions and racism, were shaped by decisions at Downing Street.

• The inquiry heard that around 4,000 people were held at Manston in November 2022, exceeding its 1,600 capacity, with many sleeping on floors in insanitary conditions.
• Laura Dubinsky KC, representing asylum seekers, told the inquiry "Number 10 clearly did play a decisionmaking role" in decisions that led to the overcrowding.
• Former Home Secretaries Priti Patel and Suella Braverman, alongside former prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, were involved in decision-making, the inquiry was told.
• The inquiry heard that doctors identified diphtheria at the centre and that 31-year-old detainee Hussein Haseeb Ahmed was suspected of having the disease.