Suella Braverman: Home secretary uses £3,500-an-hour military helicopter on visit to immigration centre in Kent

DOWNING Street has once again jumped to the defence of Suella Braverman as questions swirled about her use of a military helicopter during a visit to Kent, while she dodged questions from the press.
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The home secretary toured immigration centres as she battled to grip the migrant crisis amid threats of legal action, sexual assault allegations at a hotel housing asylum seekers and international criticism of her use of language.

The home secretary shied away from the media as she visited Dover’s Western Jet Foil site – the scene of a petrol bomb attack on Sunday – amid concerns of rising far-right activity fuelled by the failure to control the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman arrives in a Chinook helicopter for a visit to the Manston immigration short-term holding facility located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA WireHome Secretary Suella Braverman arrives in a Chinook helicopter for a visit to the Manston immigration short-term holding facility located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
Home Secretary Suella Braverman arrives in a Chinook helicopter for a visit to the Manston immigration short-term holding facility located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire
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Arriving during a heavy downpour of rain, and accompanied by a large entourage of staff, she spent about half an hour on Thursday being shown around the facility, where migrants are first taken after arriving on the south coast, and briefly boarded a docked patrol boat.

She then met the Dover coastguard, before flying to Manston in a Chinook, a decision defended by Downing Street as it emerged the helicopter costs about £3,500 an hour to fly.

Ms Braverman spent about two hours at the site, leaving by a side gate away from press gathered at the main entrance.

The Fareham MP said: ‘I wanted to see first hand how we’re working to reduce the number of people in Manston, support people there, and thank staff for all their efforts.

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‘I am incredibly proud of the skill and dedication shown to tackle this challenging situation here on a daily basis. This is a complex and difficult situation, which we need to tackle on all fronts and look at innovative solutions.’

Several coaches were seen leaving Manston during the course of the visit, including one with children on board who waved and gave peace signs out of the window.

Ms Braverman has come under mounting political pressure over the illegal conditions at the site near Ramsgate, where at one point as many as 4,000 people were being detained for weeks in a site intended to hold 1,600 for a matter of days.