The Supreme Court has refused the Government permission to appeal against the Court of Appeal judgement of 29th July 2015, which found the Detained Fast Track asylum appeal process to be ‘systemically unfair.’
The Government has no further right of appeal, so the Court of Appeal ruling is now definitive.
The Court of Appeal found that the rules governing the Fast Track appeals process were ‘ultra vires’ and unlawful. This brings to an end Detention Action’s lengthy legal battle with Home Office over operation of the Detained Fast Track – a system which, at its height, was detaining one in four asylum seekers for the duration of their asylum claims and was registering 99% rejection rates in the assessment of these same claims.
In the wake of this conclusive victory, Detention Action Director Jerome Phelps said:
‘After more than two years of litigation, we are delighted that the courts have now given a definitive verdict on an asylum detention system that has for many years been a stain on the UK’s reputation. We hope that the government will respect this judgement and seek alternative ways to process asylum claims quickly and fairly, so that no more asylum-seekers find themselves locked up simply for seeking sanctuary here.’