Embattled Suella Braverman visits Manston migrant centre (after arriving in a Chinook helicopter) 

Jeers were heard as Suella Braverman visited the migrant processing centre at Manston, Kent, this afternoon.

The embattled Home Secretary, who is under huge pressure to get a grip on the Channel migrant crisis, travelled to the site by RAF Chinook helicopter.

She was spotted disembarking from the aircraft wearing a Top Gun-style pilots’ helmet. After landing, Mrs Braverman was ushered into a waiting black BMW and driven in a six-car convoy to the main gate at 2.20pm.

Shortly after her arrival, howls, whistles and boos could be heard from the camp, near Ramsgate. Two police helicopters buzzed overhead as officers kept a close eye on those on the ground.

Mrs Braverman, who is facing widespread criticism of her handling of Britain’s asylum system, was met by Home Office officials and shown some of the tents set up for migrants to live.

She also visited the catering facilities and mobile shower blocks.

The Home Secretary later left the Kent site through a side gate, away from media gathered at the main entrance.

Her visit comes after ministers admitted the Manston facility is not operating legally amid overcrowding and reported outbreaks of disease.

There were an estimated 3,500 people remaining at the facility last night, despite it having a maximum capacity of only 1,600.

Downing Street today said the number of people at Manston had continued to fall, with more than 1,000 having now been relocated to alternative accommodation since Sunday as officials conduct a frantic search for hotel rooms.

‘Currently there are around 2,700 people on the site at Manston but those numbers are continually changing as we move people into alternative accommodation,’ a No 10 spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman revealed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is receiving twice daily updates on the situation at the centre.

The Home Office said steps were being taken to bolster the 24/7 medical facilities already on-site, as well as to provide extra bedding, improved catering facilities and more activities to support migrant welfare, including for children.

Mrs Braverman said after her visit: ‘I wanted to see first hand how we’re working to reduce the number of people in Manston, support people there, and thank staff for all their efforts.

‘I am incredibly proud of the skill and dedication shown to tackle this challenging situation here on a daily basis.

‘This is a complex and difficult situation, which we need to tackle on all fronts and look at innovative solutions.

‘To break the business model of the people smugglers, we need to ensure that the illegal migration route across the Channel is ultimately rendered unviable.’

Mrs Braverman’s decision to use an helicopter to arrive at the Manston centre, a former RAF base, raised eyebrows.

But sources close to the Home Secretary said it was so she could ‘see the breadth of the coastline’ that Border Force officials are having to monitor as thousands continue to arrive in Britain from across the Channel.

During the helicopter journey, Dan O’Mahoney, Border Force’s clandestine threat commander, was said to have pointed out locations to Mrs Braverman where migrants’ small boats are brought to shore.

The Home Secretary had earlier visited another migrant processing facility at Dover’s Western Jet Foil, which is 20 miles from Manston – a half-hour car journey.

Suella Braverman arrived – by Chinook helicopter – at the migrant processing centre at Manston, Kent, this afternoon

The embattled Home Secretary is facing huge pressure to get a grip on the Channel migrant crisis

Mrs Braverman’s visit came after ministers admitted the Manston facility is not operating legally amid overcrowding and reported outbreaks of disease

Sources close to the Home Secretary said she travelled by helicopter so she could ‘see the breadth of the coastline’ that Border Force officials are having to monitor

Mrs Braverman spoke with Dan O’Mahoney, Border Force’s clandestine threat commander, during her visit to Kent today

Campaigners are threatening legal action against the Home Secretary over conditions at Manston and the ‘unlawful treatment’ of people held at the facility

Mrs Braverman this week denied claims she had ignored legal advice that migrants were being detained for unlawfully long periods at Manston

Residents at the Manston centre gesture through a fence during Mrs Braverman’s visit

Downing Street defended Mrs Braverman’s use of a military helicopter. A No10 spokeswoman said: ‘The Home Secretary was in Dover to receive an update on operations on the ground. That obviously involved operations in the Channel.

‘She travelled on a military aircraft to see the area of operations at sea.’

Natalie Elphicke, the Tory MP for Dover, accused Mrs Braverman of failing to meet with local MPs and council leaders during her trip to Kent.

She said: ‘The small boats crisis is not just in the migrant processing facilities, it is on our Kent beaches, schools, services and housing.

‘It’s a great pity that the Home Secretary wasn’t able to meet with Kent MPs and Kent council leaders to discuss first hand the serious local impact of this issue which Kent leaders have described as at “breaking point”.’

Campaigners are threatening legal action against the Home Secretary over conditions at Manston and the ‘unlawful treatment’ of people held at the facility. 

Mrs Braverman this week denied claims she had ignored legal advice that migrants were being detained for unlawfully long periods at Manston.

She also denied having blocked the transfer of thousands of migrants to hotels this summer, which is claimed to have directly led to overcrowding and outbreaks of scabies and diptheria.

At least three coaches full of people were moved from the Manston site during Mrs Braverman’s visit today.

The Home Office is continuing a frantic search for more hotel rooms for asylum seekers to relieve pressure at the overcrowded processing facility.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said the Government was trying to transfer people from crisis-hit Manston ‘as quickly as possible’.

But Tory backbenchers have staged a revolt about the block-booking of accommodation in their constituencies.

Those MPs who have complained about the use of hotels in their areas include David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden), Selaine Saxby (North Devon), Kate Kniveton (Burton), Jo Gideon (Stoke-on-Trent Central), Tom Hunt (Ipswich) and Katherine Fletcher (South Ribble).

The grim conditions at the Manston centre were this week laid bare in a letter thrown by a young girl over the perimeter fence to a photographer.

The note, written in broken English and addressed to ‘journalists, organisations, everyone’, appeared to suggest 50 families had been held there for more than 30 days. 

It also claimed there were pregnant women and sick detainees at the site.

Lawyers on behalf of charity Detention Action and a woman held at Manston this week sent an urgent pre-action letter to the Home Office.

It said the woman – from a non-European country – ‘was unlawfully detained by the Home Secretary at the Manston facility in egregiously defective conditions’.

The legal complaint also includes claims of ‘serious threats to the safety of children’.

Among the other concerns raised by the woman and the charity are ‘the routine prolongation of detention beyond statutory time limits; failure to adhere to essential safeguarding measures for children; and women and children sleeping alongside adult men to whom they are unrelated’.

There are also claims of ‘inadequate or non-existent access to legal advice for those detained’ and ‘exposure to infectious diseases due to overcrowding and poor sanitation’.

Migrants were seen leaving the Manston processing centre in coaches this afternoon

There were an estimated 3,500 people remaining at the Manston facility last night, despite it having a maximum capacity of only 1,600

Campaigners are threatening legal action against the Home Secretary over conditions at Manston and the ‘unlawful treatment’ of people held at the facility

A charity has expressed concerns about the safety of children at the site 

The grim conditions at the centre were this week laid bare in a letter thrown by a young girl over the perimeter fence to a photographer

The letter, written in broken English and addressed to ‘journalists, organisations, everyone’, appeared to suggest 50 families had been held at Manston for more than 30 days

Earlier today, Mrs Braverman met with Border Force staff and military personnel at Dover to discuss operations in the Channel.

Her visit to the Western Jet Foil came four days after the same immigration centre was targeted in a petrol bomb attack.

There are concerns that the Government’s failure to stem the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats could be fuelling far-right activity.

The Home Office did not invite media to Mrs Braverman’s visit to Kent today, although No10 denied the Home Secretary had been banned from speaking to reporters.

It follows criticism of Mrs Braverman’s comments about Britain facing an ‘invasion on our southern coast’ earlier this week.

The Home Secretary has admitted Britain’s asylum system is ‘broken’ and illegal migration ‘out of control’, with the Government continuing to stuggle to get its Rwanda scheme up and running.

Labour have dismissed the £120million plan to send those arriving illegally in the UK to the African country as a ‘gimmick’.

But Downing Street did not deny reports today that the Government is seeking other Rwanda-style deals with Belize, Peru and Paraguay.

A No10 spokeswoman said: ‘We do plan to negotiate similar deals with other countries, akin to the Rwanda partnership, but it’s not helpful for us to comment on speculation around potential discussions.’

The reports threatened a further international row over the Government’s handling of the Channel migrant crisis.

Eamon Courtenay, the foreign minister of Belize, dismissed the ‘offensive’ claim that the Caribbean country could become a destination for those deported from Britain.

He said: ‘Belize is not in negotiations with the UK or anyone else to take migrants. The very idea of exporting migrants is offensive to us. It will not happen.’

The Home Secretary earlier arrived in the pouring rain at a migrant processing centre on the Western Jet Foil at Dover

The Home Office did not invite media to Mrs Braverman’s visit to Kent today, although No10 denied the Home Secretary had been banned from speaking to reporters

Mrs Braverman is facing widespread criticism of her handling of Britain’s asylum system 

The Government has already become embroiled in a war-of-words with the Albanian Prime Minister and the country’s Royal Family over the arrival of migrants in Britain from the Balkan state.

Albanian PM Edi Rama has taken aim at Mrs Braverman with an accusastion she is ‘fuelling xenophobia’ by branding Channel crossings ‘an invasion’ and scapegoating his citizens to distract from the UK’s ‘failed policies’.

Downing Street attempted to cool tensions by welcoming joint UK-Albania efforts to stem small boat arrivals from across the Channel.

‘We remain extremely grateful for the co-operation of the Albanian government, we have a strong working relationship with them, which we would want to continue to build on,’ the No10 spokeswoman said.

She added that Albanian nationals made up to over a third of small boat arrivals this year, with rising crossings putting ‘unprecedented pressure’ on Britain’s asylum system.

The Channel migrant crisis has seen 40,000 people arrive on the South Coast already this year.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt today admitted Britain had an asylum system that ‘isn’t working’ and had ‘got particularly bad in the last couple of years’.

‘You look at the number of small boat crossings, they’ve shot up in the last few years, and we’re determined to grip that problem,’ he told broadcasters.

Asked why Mrs Braverman was not, like him taking questions from reporters, Mr Hunt said: ‘The Home Secretary did a number of public appearances this week in Parliament.

‘She’s been prepared to face the music this week and I’m sure you’ll continue to have a chance to ask her questions.’

Mrs Braverman has spoken in the House of Commons once this week.

New Home Office statistics published today revealed Albanians continued to be the most common nationality to be referred for support as potential victims of modern slavery.

Albanians accounted for more than a quarter (28 per cent) of all potential victims between July and September.

The number of Albanians referred under a national framework in those three months was 1,294, which was the highest figure since the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) was set up in 2009.

The number of Albanian nationals being referred has now surpassed the number of UK nationals, the second-most commonly referred nationality, for a third consecutive quarter.

There were 1,076 UK nationals referred under the NRM between July and September, with Eritrean nationals (324) the third most commonly referred nationality.

Mrs Braverman this week warned MPs that many Albanian nationals arriving in Britain were ‘abusing our modern slavery laws’.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who also visited Dover today, last night confirmed that a judicial review is being brought against the Home Office after reports of severe overcrowding at the Manston centre.

Mr Jenrick estimated 3,500 people remained at the facility on Wednesday night. Its maximum capacity is 1,600.

Hundreds of people have been removed from the site in recent days, with Mr Jenrick expressing hope that Manston will return to being ‘legally compliant’ soon.