A British hotel at the centre of a scandal involving the disappearance of more than 130 unaccompanied child asylum seekers has been stripped of its government contract.
The hotel in Brighton was the focus of major protests after it was discovered that dozens of migrant children had gone missing, possibly abducted by criminal gangs.
Only last month, London's High Court heard at least 50 minors were still unaccounted for.
On Monday, the Labour leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, Bella Sankey, said the Home Office had informed the authority that its contract with the venue would end on Thursday.
The Home Office had been paying hotels to house asylum seekers.
Ms Sankey said the policy to house unaccompanied child asylum seekers in hotels had been “inhumane”.
“The Home Office contract with a #Hove hotel to accommodate unaccompanied children seeking asylum will end on Thursday,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“This is a major milestone for our Council and for our City. Because @bhlabour and @BrightonHoveCC took action, this inhumane policy is ending. #Brighton.”
Authorities have faced criticism for failing to protect young asylum seekers, many of whom have disappeared, including a child aged 12.
Last month, Kent County Council took legal action against the Home Office over what it claims is the unlawful way in which the government manages the way unaccompanied refugee children are housed in Britain.
Stephanie Harrison KC, representing the council, had told the court “50 remain missing” from the hotel where they had been placed by the Home Office.
She quoted a witness saying the hotel poses “risks of trafficking to unaccompanied children” and is not “fit for purpose”.
The National has previously been told people-trafficking gangs have been using mobile phone trackers to find asylum-seeker children in British hotels and lure them away.
The Home Office has been using six hotels in the UK to house unaccompanied children who have been rescued from small boats in the English Channel.
The High Court in July said the “routine” housing of unaccompanied child asylum seekers in hotels was unlawful.
More than 5,400 have been housed in hotels since July 2021, a third of whom were under 16.
The Home Office says it does not comment on individual sites.
The move comes as the Home Office is removing asylum seekers from 50 hotels as part of a bid to reduce the cost of accommodating them.
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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1st Test July 26-30 in Galle
2nd Test August 3-7 in Colombo
3rd Test August 12-16 in Pallekele
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Company%20Profile
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
