A report from the prisons and detention watchdog has revealed that staff at an immigration detention centre wore England flags pinned to their uniforms while guarding migrants. The Independent Monitoring Boards' (IMB) national annual report, published on Wednesday, details the use of St George's Cross flags by personnel at a Home Office short-term holding facility.
Flag Displays Raise Concerns
The report, authored by interim IMB chair Jane Leech, notes that the St George's Cross has become closely associated with far-right and anti-migrant activists, including groups like Raise the Colours. The board expressed concern that wearing the flags could be perceived as bias or intimidation, especially given recent immigration protests where flag displays were prominent. At a minimum, the board concluded it raised questions about professional standards and workplace culture.
Damning Overview of Detention and Prisons
The report paints a grim picture of prisons, immigration detention centres, and young offender institutions, describing a consistent and deeply troubling pattern where longstanding failures remain unresolved and are compounded. In immigration detention, the report criticises harm without accountability, use of force, and failed safeguards, highlighting systemic failings that expose detainees to avoidable harm while falling short of minimum standards.
One-in-One-Out Scheme and Child Detention
The report provides the first watchdog overview of the Home Office's controversial one-in-one-out scheme, which forcibly returns some small boat arrivals to France in exchange for a similar number brought legally to the UK. The IMB found that the scheme has led to the unlawful detention of children, despite terms stating lone children must not be included. At Gatwick immigration removal centre, 12% of those detained under the scheme were age-disputed, with 20% of that group later identified as children, indicating serious safeguarding gaps. The board described this as a strikingly high rate.
The criteria for selecting individuals for return remain secret and are subject to a High Court challenge. Board members were told selection was random by design to undermine smuggler operations.
Healthcare Failures
Access to healthcare was also criticised. One detainee waited a month for treatment for a broken finger, while another waited three hours for a medical response after a suspected stroke. At Gatwick, detainees were told they could not receive hospital treatment unless they agreed to be handcuffed, a practice the board considered coercive.
Prison Conditions
In the prison estate, illicit drug use remained the biggest destabilising force. At HMP High Down, 13 medical emergencies were recorded in one day, largely due to drugs. Spider infestations at HMP Bullingdon were so severe that three prisoners were hospitalised with spider bites, with one told he might lose his leg. At Feltham Young Offenders Institution, 50 weapons were found among 100 boys in August 2025. Some boys self-isolated due to fear, and at times it was so cold that some slept in coats.
Watchdog Chair's Statement
Leech stated: "The evidence available to us strongly suggests that many of these longstanding issues are not only unresolved but are becoming more acute. This is not a moment for complacency. It is a moment that requires honesty about the deterioration of conditions, and confidence in the evidence. The Home Office must exercise stronger oversight and clearer accountability in how detention is used in practice." Regarding prisons, she added: "This report raises unavoidable questions about effectiveness and accountability. IMBs' findings suggest that unless there is a decisive shift away from denial, short-term fixes and rhetorical reassurance, prisons and YOIs will continue to deteriorate, not through sudden collapse, but through the steady normalisation of failure."
Government Response
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We do not accept this report's findings. We accept nothing but the highest standards of safety, welfare provision and staff behaviour for those in our care. This government inherited an under-resourced detention estate from the previous government. Since taking office, we have made significant improvements, including increased staffing levels and refurbishment of our facilities to improve conditions and safeguards."
The minister for prisons, probation and reducing reoffending, James Timpson, said: "We have seen positive improvements across the estate thanks to strong leadership but we know more needs to be done. Whether it's keeping the public safe by creating 3,000 more prison places, investing over half a billion in vital maintenance and security, or recruiting hundreds more officers, we are pulling every lever to turn the tide. To meet the challenge, our landmark sentencing reforms, alongside £4bn for 14,000 new prison places by 2031, will ease pressure, and we are tackling violence and drugs behind bars with over £40m invested in physical security to clamp down on contraband."
