Home Secretary Suella Braverman has defended her handling of the migrant crisis amid mounting criticism, insisting the UK's asylum system is 'broken'. Speaking in the Commons on Monday, she rejected claims from a senior Conservative MP that she allowed the Manston migrant holding centre in Kent to become dangerously overcrowded.
Braverman denied blocking the use of hotels to ease pressure at Manston, where over 4,000 migrants were housed despite a capacity of 1,600. She told MPs she 'never ignored legal advice' and refused to 'prematurely release thousands of people into local communities without having anywhere for them to stay'.
The home secretary faced questions from both Labour and Tory MPs after reports that some migrants had been held at Manston for over a month, including a family sleeping on mats in a marquee for 32 days. Nearly 1,000 migrants crossed the English Channel on Saturday alone, with 39,898 making the journey so far this year.
Braverman said the government was 'determined to address the wholly unacceptable situation' costing taxpayers £6.8 million a day for hotel accommodation. She added: 'We need to be straight with the public. The system is broken. Illegal migration is out of control.'
Criticism came from senior Tory MP Sir Roger Gale, who suggested the overcrowding may have 'developed deliberately'. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper questioned Braverman's judgment after she reportedly ignored legal advice on housing migrants and broke ministerial rules over official documents. Braverman acknowledged making 'an error of judgment' and resigning over the matter.
