Asylum seekers win legal battle over ‘unsafe’ housing against UK government

The Home Office acted “unlawfully” when it housed asylum seekers in “unsafe” conditions at a former barracks, the High Court has ruled.

Six men brought the case, after being placed in dormitories in Napier Barracks in Kent. Two hundred people contracted coronavirus in accommodation which the judge found was “inadequate” and posed “real and immediate risks to life”.

The ruling could see a damages claim against the home secretary. The Home Office says it will continue to use the site.