When you think about a migrant processing centre, you might picture a fairly basic, no-frills place focused strictly on processing and accommodation.
However, recent revelations have shown that the Home Office has spent over £60,000 on entertainment for people detained at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent.
This spending includes TVs, gaming consoles like PlayStations, Nintendos, and Xboxes, as well as subscriptions to newspapers and magazines.
What Was Bought and Why?
The money went towards purchasing TVs equipped with satellite channels, various video game consoles, and printed media subscriptions.
These items seem designed to keep those detained occupied while they remain at the centre, which usually holds migrants for no longer than 48 hours before transferring them to other accommodation while their asylum claims are processed.
The details emerged through a Freedom of Information request and were reported by GB News.
Reactions and Criticism
This revelation has sparked debate.
Tony Smith, former Chief Executive of Border Force, criticized the current approach, contrasting it with past policies.
He explained that previously, illegal entrants were quickly processed through fast-track asylum systems with an emphasis on rapid removal.
Smith suggests that today, migrants understand the chances of removal are slim, especially if arriving by boat, and that the asylum system now supports them more generously—far from the harsh conditions seen in places like Calais.
Smith warns this environment encourages more people to attempt crossing, feeding the smuggling networks, and ultimately undermining efforts to reduce migration numbers, which many people want to see.
Political Context: The Government’s Tougher Stance
The spending on entertainment comes in the same week Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced a tougher immigration stance.
In a major speech, Starmer vowed to drastically cut net migration to prevent the UK from becoming an “island of strangers.”
He argued that high migration has inflicted “incalculable damage” on public services, housing, and the economy.
The Government’s new immigration White Paper outlines plans to reduce immigration by 98,000 people annually by raising skill thresholds, tightening English language requirements, and extending the citizenship waiting period from five to ten years.
Deportation rules will also become stricter, applying even to lower-level offenses.
The paper proposes cutting graduate visas to 18 months and introducing a new levy on universities’ income from international students, alongside tougher recruitment rules.
Official Response and Future Plans
A Home Office spokesperson noted that most of the entertainment expenditure happened under the previous government and claimed the TVs were intended to provide information and instructions to those at Manston.
The spokesperson added that the current government is now reviewing this spending.
What’s Next?
With ongoing political pressure to reduce immigration numbers and tighten control, the Home Office’s spending on entertainment is likely to face closer scrutiny.
Whether this approach to detainee care will change remains to be seen, especially as debates over immigration policy continue to dominate the national conversation.