UK govt under fire for ‘wretched’ migrant center conditions

LONDON — Britain’s interior minister on Monday defended the government’s treatment of newly arrived migrants after critics blamed her for the “wretched” conditions endured by thousands of people at an overcrowded center for asylum-seekers. Lucy Moreton, who heads the Immigration Services Union, said the the number of people at Manston had reached 4,000 and it was “catastrophically overcrowded.” Home Secretary Suella Braverman defended her department’s behavior, saying officials were “working tirelessly to improve facilities” for asylum-seekers. Chief Inspector of Borders David Neal, who recently visited, said last week that conditions were “wretched.” He told lawmakers there had been cases of diphtheria and “it’s a really dangerous situation.” Braverman, who has been in the job for a matter of weeks, is a contentious figure, already under pressure for her use of insecure private email. “The Home Office took just 14,000 initial asylum decisions in the last 12 months compared to 28,000 six years ago, 96% of the small boat arrivals last year have still not had a decision, and initial decisions alone are taking more than 400 days on this Conservative government’s watch,” said Labour Party immigration spokeswoman Yvette Cooper.