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Hundreds of migrants have been moved from an overcrowded immigration centre in Kent – with the government accused of presiding over a “shambles”.

The Manston processing centre is designed to hold up to 1,600 people for no more than 24 hours, but as of Monday, there were 4,000 on the site.

Some migrants are threatening to self-harm and go on hunger strike, with unrest “spreading across the camp”, Sky News has been told.

It comes as figures suggest 1,322 asylum-seeking children have been housed in hotels rather than long-term homes over a three-month period – and, as of 19 October, 222 of them are missing.

The Local Government Association (LGA) is calling for an urgent plan to tackle the “crisis”, so the children can be moved into permanent placements quicker.

Almost 40,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats so far this year.

Last night, immigration minister Robert Jenrick said “good progress” has been made in alleviating overcrowding at Manston, with the number of migrants there “falling substantially”.

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Mr Jenrick expects more people to be moved today, and said: “Unless we receive an unexpectedly high number of migrants in small boats in the coming days, numbers will fall significantly this week.

“It’s imperative that the site returns to a sustainable operating model and we are doing everything we can to ensure that happens swiftly.”

Local Conservative MP Sir Roger Gale has also said that “several hundred” have been relocated, but it is unclear where they have been taken.

On Monday, Sir Roger had warned the situation at Manston was a “breach of humane conditions” – and given there have been reported outbreaks of MRSA and diphtheria, he described overcrowding as “wholly unacceptable”.

The British Red Cross also said: “It’s clear that immediate action is required to ensure that the men, women and children who have just made a dangerous and potentially traumatic journey have their basic needs met in a safe environment.

“No one should experience overcrowded accommodation that puts them at risk of disease and potentially being detained unlawfully.”

Manston migrant processing centre in Thanet, Kent, is seen from the air

‘Unrest is spreading across the camp’

In an exclusive interview, Sky News has been told that some migrants inside Manston are threatening to self-harm and go on hunger strike in protest at being detained.

The Prison Officers’ Association represents 170 people who are working at the site – and assistant general secretary Andy Baxter, who saw conditions for himself when he recently visited the centre, has warned “unrest is spreading across the camp”.

Mr Baxter told Sky’s Lisa Holland: “Our members are facing threats from people constantly saying ‘What’s happening to me? Where am I going? When will I be getting moved on?’

“When our members can’t give them an answer, people start making threats to have sit-down protests, threats to go on hunger strike and people making threats of self-harm.”

He said some POA members have concerns for their safety, and there have been a few incidents of people making homemade “weapons” from things like wooden cutlery and toothbrushes.

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Migrants ‘threatening self-harm’

Warning that there could eventually be a “serious breakdown in public order” at Manston, Mr Baxter added: “So far there are no incidences of those weapons being used on anyone – it seems to be something that people want to carry – but our members are really concerned.”

Some of the people being held at Manston have been there for weeks as there is no alternate accommodation to move them to, and they cannot leave until they have somewhere to go.

It is difficult to speak to people inside because they have had their phones taken off them.

But the charity Humans for Rights Network shared accounts with Sky News from two asylum seekers who were in Manston about a month ago. They are both 16-year-old teenagers from Sudan, and are now in hotels in London.

One said: “I spent 17 days in Manston. I slept on a blanket and was covered with another blanket which was not enough for me and I was feeling cold. There were daily fights between people during my stay.”

The other said: “There were no beds in the tents, not even chairs. We used to put the food boxes on the floor and slept on them.

“I spent all the time in the clothes they gave me when I arrived and they were wet with rainwater. A skin disease spread during my stay and I was afraid of getting infected with it.”

We can’t independently verify these accounts, but Mr Baxter described seeing “large marquees with quite poor facilities” – and a lack of beds and furniture.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The number of people arriving in the UK who seek asylum and require accommodation has reached record levels and continues to put our asylum system under incredible pressure.

“Manston remains resourced and equipped to process migrants securely and we will provide alternative accommodation as soon as possible.”

The spokesperson added: “We urge anyone who is thinking about leaving a safe country and risk their lives at the hands of vile people smugglers to seriously reconsider. Despite what they have been told, they will not be allowed to start a new life here.”

Councils struggling to cope

Away from Manston, councils have “significant concerns” about unaccompanied children being sent to live in hotels by the Home Office – with local authorities often not informed ahead of time.

More than 1,300 child migrants were placed in hotels between July and September, with the average length of time spent in a hotel 16 days.

As of 19 October, 222 of these young people are missing.

Almost all are boys and many are 16 or 17. Thirty-nine of them have been missing for at least 100 days and 17 were lost within a day of the Home Office becoming responsible for them.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said that, when a child goes missing from hotel accommodation, the Home Office works “very closely with local authorities and the police to operate a robust missing persons protocol”.

The Local Government Association is urging the government to work more closely with councils – and help them support children coming to the UK without parents or guardians.

It has set out a four-point plan for how government should improve the current system, including establishing a pathfinder foster carer recruitment campaign specifically for unaccompanied minors, and calling on Homes for Ukraine sponsors to consider providing accommodation for older children.

Louise Gittens, chair of the LGA’s children and young people board, said: “Councils don’t want to see any child placed in a hotel by government, which is completely unsuitable for unaccompanied children.

“It is deeply concerning and unreasonable that these hotels, which were introduced as a short-term emergency measure, remain in use, especially as the number of children going missing from them continues to grow.

“We urgently need a plan to tackle this crisis and ensure children can move quickly to their permanent placements.”

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Braverman and migrant row explained

Braverman criticised

Yesterday, peers in the Lords criticised Ms Braverman – with Labour’s home affairs spokesperson Lord Coaker describing the situation regarding asylum processing as a “shambles” with “terrible consequences for people”.

His Liberal Democrat counterpart, Lord Paddick, attacked the “woeful track record” in processing claims – as well as the home secretary’s “reckless rhetoric”.

But former Brexit secretary Lord Frost defended Ms Braverman, and said: “We have seen over the last couple of days what seems to me to be an almost obsessional pursuit of the home secretary who is dealing with a series of extremely difficult substantive problems.

“A pursuit on the basis of leaks, anonymous briefings, the usual oversensitivity about words.”

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Ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy enters prison for five-year sentence

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Ex-French president Nicolas Sarkozy enters prison for five-year sentence

Nicolas Sarkozy declared his innocence and held hands with his wife before entering prison to begin his five-year sentence.

The 70-year-old was pictured with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy on Tuesday morning ahead of travelling to Paris’ La Sante prison.

He was found guilty last month of criminal conspiracy over the alleged illegal financing of his 2007 presidential election campaign with funds from Libya.

Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his house with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters
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Nicolas Sarkozy leaves his house with his wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters

Hundreds of supporters chanted “Nicolas, Nicolas” and sang the French national anthem as he left his home this morning and stepped into the car that would take him to jail.

It caps a stunning downfall of the man who led France between 2007 and 2012.

Sarkozy’s sons and daughter, Jean, Pierre, Louis and Giulia, and his grandchildren showed up at the gathering.

As he prepared to begin his prison term, he posted a message on social media repeating his claims that he is an “innocent man” and said he feels a “deep sorrow for France”.

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He will be the first former French leader to be jailed since Nazi collaborator Marshal Philippe Petain after the Second World War.

In his statement, Sarkozy said: “As I prepare to cross the walls of La Sante prison, my thoughts go out to the French people of all walks of life and opinions,” he said.

“I want to tell them with my unwavering strength that it is not a former President of the Republic who is being locked up this morning, it is an innocent person.”

He added: “I feel deep sorrow for France, which finds itself humiliated by the expression of a vengeance that has taken hatred to an unprecedented level. I have no doubt. The truth will triumph. But the price to pay will have been crushing.”

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Brun-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters
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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy kisses his wife Carla Brun-Sarkozy. Pic: Reuters

Parisian resident Michelle Perie, 67, said she came out to support “because there is anger, injustice”.

“He’s not like any other defendants, he’s someone who holds state secrets, he’s someone who has always done his job with his head held high. We don’t understand,” she said.

Sarkozy’s lawyers said he will be held in solitary confinement, where he will be kept away from all other prisoners for security reasons.

The former president told French newspaper Le Figaro he would take three books with him, including Alexandre Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, in which the hero escapes from an island prison before seeking revenge.

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Gunman who shot Slovak PM sentenced to 21 years in jail

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Gunman who shot Slovak PM sentenced to 21 years in jail

A man who shot and badly wounded Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has been given a 21-year jail sentence after being found guilty of terrorism charges.

Juraj Cintula, 72, opened fire on Mr Fico in May 2024, hitting him five times from little more than a one-metre distance as the prime minister greeted supporters in the central Slovak town of Handlová.

Cintula, who was acting alone, said he had not intended to kill Mr Fico and claimed his motive was that he disagreed with government policies.

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Robert Fico

The Slovakian leader, 64, was seriously injured in the attack. He was struck in the abdomen and also sustained wounds to his hip, hand and foot. He was rushed to hospital and immediately underwent five-hour long surgery.

Mr Fico has since recovered and made his first public appearance a few months after the attack.

The shooting and subsequent trial have shaken this small, European Union and NATO-member country, where populist Mr Fico has long been a divisive figure. He’s often been criticised for straying from Slovakia’s pro-Western path and aligning it closer to Russia.

Protesters at a march called "Slovakia is Europe" in Bratislava, May 9, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP
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Protesters at a march called “Slovakia is Europe” in Bratislava, May 9, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP

Cintula was arrested immediately after the attack. When questioned by investigators, he rejected the accusation of being a “terrorist”.

In testimony read out at his trial, Cintula stated: “I decided to harm the health of the prime minister but I had no intention to kill anyone.”

He added that he was relieved when he learned the prime minister survived.

Protesters against new consolidation of Slovak government in Bratislava, Sept. 11, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP
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Protesters against new consolidation of Slovak government in Bratislava, Sept. 11, 2025. Pic: Martin Baumann/TASR via AP

“The defendant did not attack a citizen, but specifically the prime minister,” Igor Králik, the head of the three-judge panel, said in delivering the verdict.

“He was against the government, he was inciting people to overthrow the government.”

Cintula can still appeal the verdict, but it was not immediately clear if he would do so.

In the aftermath of the attack, Mr Fico said he “had no reason to believe” the attack was the work of just one person and repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt. There is no evidence for that.

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The Slovak leader had previously said he “had no reason to believe” it was an attack by a lone deranged person.

He repeatedly blamed the liberal opposition and media for the assassination attempt, although no evidence was provided for these claims.

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Slovak PM shooting suspect’s home raided

Populist Mr Fico returned to power for the fourth time after his leftist Smer, or Direction, party won the 2023 parliamentary election after campaigning on a pro-Russia and anti-American message.

Thousands have repeatedly rallied in Bratislava and across Slovakia to protest Fico’s pro-Russian stance and other policies.

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Japan’s parliament votes in country’s first ever female PM

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Japan's parliament votes in country's first ever female PM

Japan’s parliament has voted in the country’s first ever female prime minister.

Sanae Takaichi won 237 votes in the 465-seat lower chamber of parliament, and is also set to secure a majority in the less powerful upper house before being sworn in later today.

Tuesday’s votes came after her Liberal Democratic Party agreed to a coalition with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party yesterday.

The last-minute deal came after the Liberal Democrats lost its longterm partner, the Buddhist-backed Komeito, which has a more centrist stance.

Incumbent prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, of Ms Takaichi’s party, announced his resignation last month.

The new prime minister stands and bows after the vote. Pic: AP
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The new prime minister stands and bows after the vote. Pic: AP

While Ms Takaichi’s election marks the shattering of a glass ceiling for Japan, it also marks a sharp tack to the right.

She is a staunchly conservative figure who cites Margaret Thatcher as an inspiration, and comes to power at a time when the country is increasingly worried about the cost of living and immigration.

Japan is currently grappling with rising prices that have sparked public anger, fuelling support for oppositions groups including the far-right Sanseito party.

Japanese lawmakers electing the new PM at the Lower House of Parliament in Tokyo. Pic: Reuters
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Japanese lawmakers electing the new PM at the Lower House of Parliament in Tokyo. Pic: Reuters

Ms Takaichi’s untested alliance is still short of a majority in both houses of parliament and she will need to win over other opposition groups to pass any legislation – which could make her government unstable.

She said at Monday’s signing ceremony: “Political stability is essential right now. Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy.”

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While she is Japan’s first female PM, Ms Takaichi has previously shown she is in no rush to promote gender equality or diversity.

She is among the Japanese politicians who have stonewalled measures for women’s advancements and she supports the imperial family’s male-only succession, while opposing same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples.

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