Government rejects time limit on holding migrants

Brook House immigration removal centre was filmed by an undercover reporter in 2017

A recommendation that migrants are held in removal centres for no more than 28 days has been rejected by the government.

The proposal was a key recommendation made by a public inquiry into Brook House, near Gatwick Airport, triggered by a BBC Panorama investigation into the centre in 2017.

Inquiry chairwoman Kate Eves said she was "concerned" her findings had not been accepted in full after the Home Office published its formal response.

The government said it had implemented the majority of her recommendations.

The BBC began an investigation in 2016 when a custody officer at Brook House contacted Panorama and said abuse and self-harm were "rife" and there were "broken men at every turn".

Covert footage filmed inside the centre showed harsh treatment, drug use and bullying, and raised concerns about detainees' mental health.

Covert footage raised serious concerns about the treatment of detainees

Ms Eves found there were 19 incidents of mistreatment against detainees at the Sussex centre over five months in 2017.

Her inquiry found a toxic culture with detainees forcibly moved while naked and some subjected to unnecessary pain.

At the time, former home secretary Suella Braverman said her department would "carefully consider the findings".

But a Home Office response on Tuesday said: "The government does not accept the recommendation that it should set a time limit on detention.

"A time limit would significantly impair the ability to remove those who have breached immigration laws and refused to leave the UK voluntarily.

"The Illegal Migration Act makes it clear that immigration detention must only be used for a period of time that is reasonably necessary, in the opinion of the secretary of state, for the relevant immigration function to be carried out."

'Unacceptable mistreatment'

Following the Home Office response, Ms Eves said: "I am concerned that the inquiry's recommendations have not been accepted in full; in particular the recommendation of a 28-day time limit on detaining people in environments designed as prisons.

"As I stated in my report, it is my view that the inquiry's recommendations need to be implemented in order to prevent any repeat of the kind of unacceptable mistreatment that took place in Brook House."

In a further statement, the government said it had "already made significant improvements to uphold the welfare and dignity of detainees".

A government spokesperson said the abuse in 2017 had been unacceptable, adding: "We are committed to ensuring it will never happen again."

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