The Guardian revealed on 15 June that the chair of the independent inquiry into the Manston processing centre has publicly rebuked Robert Jenrick for missing repeated deadlines to supply a witness statement. Jenrick oversaw immigration policy during late 2022, when the former Kent RAF base was holding more than double its designed capacity of recent Channel arrivals amid outbreaks of diphtheria and scabies. Inquiry chair Sophie Cartwright KC disclosed that letters first went to Jenrick in October 2025 with extensions agreed through April 2026, yet no evidence has been forthcoming. The inquiry, set up by the Labour government, is examining whether ministerial decisions contributed to overcrowding, disease outbreaks and the death of 31-year-old Hussein Haseeb Ahmed. For mobility and global-talent teams, the episode underscores how quickly processing facilities can become politicised flashpoints, influencing public perception of the entire immigration system. Prolonged scrutiny may drive the Home Office to accelerate planned infrastructure reforms or tighten Service Level Agreements with private contractors, potentially affecting future visa-application logistics such as biometrics or security interviews. Jenrick, now Reform UK’s treasury spokesperson, has promised a statement “in due course” and criticised the focus on detention conditions rather than illegal migration’s wider impact. Should he ultimately refuse, the inquiry could seek powers to compel evidence, prolonging proceedings and keeping migrant accommodation standards in the headlines well into 2027 – a reputational risk for any companies involved in asylum-housing contracts.
Source: The Guardian
