High Court rules Home Secretary did not act unlawfully by moving Afghan families from London hotel to one in Manchester

The High Court ruled that the Home Secretary did not owe a duty to ‘safeguard and promote’ the best interests of the children affected by the moves, as she was not exercising an ‘immigration function’. The High Court further ruled that even if she had owed such a duty, it was sufficient that she had given the Local Authority an opportunity to raise concerns about the number of school aged children. The families had argued that the Home Secretary was required to make more substantive enquiries to ensure against further disruption in the lives and education of the children before taking the decision to take them out of their schools and relocate them hundreds of miles away, without any measures in place to ensure continuity.

This means the families will continue to live in hotels, causing huge disruption to their lives, and where some of the children remain out of education. It also leaves thousands of other Afghan evacuees at risk of being moved hundreds of miles at short notice.

More information -
https://england.shelter.org.uk/media/press_release/afghan_children_and_their_families_abandoned_in_remote_hotels_following_high_court_ruling
https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2023/660.html