Are asylum support rates lawful? High Court to decide

The High Court will hear a judicial review against the Secretary of State’s decision to increase asylum support rates below the rate of inflation.

In February 2022 the Secretary State for the Home Department increased the rate of asylum support from £39.63 to £40.85, a rise of a mere 3.1% when inflation was double that and predicted to rise even further, as it has since done exponentially. The Secretary of State has a statutory duty to ensure asylum support rates are sufficient to meet the essential needs of asylum seekers. The claimants maintain in the case R (CB) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department that this duty is being breached. The High Court will hear argument on 15 December 2022. They are represented by Kathleen Cosgrove and Josie Hicklin of Manchester Law Centre and Jamie Burton KC and Michael Spencer of Doughty Street.