Manston migrant centre expanded for use until at least 2030 despite Rwanda plan

Plans to expand the controversial Manston migrant centre in Kent for use until at least 2030 have been revealed in new Government documents.

It comes despite Rishi Sunak’s pledge to push ahead with the Rwanda deportation scheme to send asylum seekers who arrive in the UK by small boat to the African country.

Publicly available Government procurement documents show it intends to open a new “National Reception Centre” at Manston for use until at least 2030 to “process individuals arriving in the UK on small boats across the English channel”.

The contract on offer to firms to run the centre is worth approximately £700m, and would include catering, security and medical support.

Asylum seekers are currently taken to Manston temporarily for checks once they have arrived in the UK but under current legislation they are not supposed to be held there for longer than 96 hours unless there are “exceptional circumstances”.

Documents reveal fresh details on Manston ‘transformation’

The Government is likely to appoint a contractor to run the site from early next year, according to the BBC, which first reported on the new documents. It is a six year contract with a potential extension of four years to 2034.

In October, i revealed that Manston was set to be expanded into a “residential” facility to detain small boat migrants before their deportation to Rwanda.

According to previous Government documents, seen by i, officials said current buildings at Manston were “redundant and not fit for purpose”. The Home Office is currently “transforming the site at Manston to establish permanent, purpose-built facilities”.

The planning documents showed the Home Office was looking to convert buildings including barrack blocks and an officers’ mess to house migrants.

Over the summer, i also revealed that the Home Office had brought in experts to expand the UK’s detention centres using prison designs at three locations including Manston.

Last year, Manston grew severely overcrowded with around 4,000 migrants at one point in late October. Its maximum capacity is around 1,600. The Home Office was accused of keeping them in “inhumane conditions” by both Conservative and Labour MPs and David Neal, the chief inspector of borders and immigration.

The management of the centre was also criticised when asylum seekers were taken by coach from the centre and dropped off in central London with nowhere to go.

Manston hit the headlines again the following month when a man being held there died of suspected diptheria.

How much will the new plans cost?

While the running of the new reception centre is slated to cost £700m over 7 years, the exact cost may differ.

The contract published last week only covers the costs of running the facility — and does not include the building maintenance of facilities, or any additional staffing costs for the Government at the site.

It could also be extended by a further four years, which would take the deal until 2034. The true cost of the contract won’t be known until after the procurement process has begun in earnest, as the current plan is only at an “idea” stage.

What does this mean for Rwanda?

This latest contracting process for Manston comes as Mr Sunak attemps to push on with his Rwanda deportation plan, following a string of legal defeats that have slowed down the policy.

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Mr Sunak has announced plans to bring in “emergency legislation” after the Supreme Court recently ruled it was not a safe country.

As part of a renewed treaty with the UK, the Rwandan government received another £100m and agreed that it would not expel asylum seekers to a country where their live or freedom would be threatened – one of the court’s major concerns.

But Mr Sunak’s new bill has been undermined by his former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, who resigned last week saying it “didn’t go far enough”.

Both the Conservative right and Tory moderates have expressed concern over the plans, leaving the Prime Minister in a tough position.

It is unlikely the contract is linked to the new Rwanda bill, but the Home Office acknowledges the Manston plans are currently at an “early stage of development”.

What has the Government said about it?

Details uncovered in the documents follow a series of denials from the Government that there would be a more permanent residential facility at Manston for asylum seekers.

In response to previous i reporting, the Government denied to local media that Manston was being expanded, or that it would operate as a “residential” facility.

In response to Monday’s BBC report, a Home Office spokesperson said it would be “inappropriate to comment” on an ongoing procurement project.

In response to the BBC story, Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This shows even the Home Office doesn’t believe Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan is going to work. This is total Tory chaos and it’s letting the country down.

“Instead of sending nearly £300m of taxpayers money to Rwanda for a failing scheme, the prime minister should be using the money to stop the criminal smuggling gangs who are organising boat crossings in the first place.”