Full file will be uploaded soon confirming that Keir Starmer represented 5asylum seekers against the Secretary of State.

The argument centred on:

• Whether denying support amounted to inhuman or degrading treatment under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

• Whether the Home Secretary’s interpretation of “as soon as reasonably practicable” was lawful.

The courts ultimately ruled that:

• The government could not deny support if doing so would leave an asylum seeker destitute, because this would breach Article 3 protections.

This ruling limited the government’s ability to use Section 55 to refuse support.