Secret Home Office policy to detain people with NHS debt at airport found unlawful

Source: The Guardian

Secret Home Office policy to detain people with NHS debt at airport found unlawful

Policy was uncovered by defenders of two women repeatedly detained when trying to re-enter the UK

Diane Taylor
Fri 26 May 2023 19.57 BST
First published on Fri 26 May 2023 17.08 BST

A secret Home Office policy to detain people with the right to live in the UK at air and seaports has been found to be unlawful in the high court.

The policy applied to those with unpaid NHS debts and was only uncovered through evidence gathered from charities and lawyers fighting the cases of two mothers who were repeatedly detained.

The women were held at ports when trying to re-enter the UK after trips abroad to visit family, because they had outstanding debts to the NHS for maternity care – debts which Home Office was aware of when granting them leave to remain in the UK.

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In a judgment handed down today Mr Justice Chamberlain found that the two women and their young children were falsely imprisoned by the home secretary without justification. He also found that Suella Braverman had breached her duty to consider the equality impact of the policy on women, who are known to be disproportionately affected by NHS charging.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/may/26/secret-home-office-policy-to-detain-people-with-right-to-live-in-uk-found-unlawful

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