Home Office contractors paid for sex abroad while on trips to deport migrants, report claims 

Home Office contractors flying abroad to deport migrants paid for prostitutes during the trips, it was claimed yesterday.

Five whistleblowers alleged that colleagues used sex workers during overnight stopovers after accompanying migrants on flights from the UK.

The use of prostitutes is said to have taken place over a ten-year period in Romania, Kenya, South Africa, Vietnam and Brazil. 

Home Office permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft is understood to have raised concerns about the allegations with services giant Mitie, which manages deportations.

A Home Office contractor told The Guardian that a colleague ‘had a phone which he called his “little black book” specially for jobs abroad to arrange these liaisons.’

Another added: ‘The money paid by these Home Office contractors using sex workers while abroad doing deportations goes further than it would in the UK. 

‘But it is taxpayers’ money being used to fly us to these places where sex is being paid for.’

A third contractor said: ‘This practice among Home Office contractors has gone on for as long as I can remember… A lot of hotels, especially in places like Nairobi, are full of prostitutes… It’s a thing some of the men do because it’s there – it’s available.’

Bella Sankey, director of charity Detention Action, said the deportation process broke up families in the UK. 

She stressed: ‘The deportation industry wastes millions of taxpayer pounds to rip loving families apart… 

‘It is rubbing salt in that wound to learn that the Home Office’s contractors may have been engaged in predatory sex tourism while abroad on our hard-earned money.’

Labour’s immigration spokesman Stephen Kinnock described the allegations as deeply disturbing and called on the Home Office to investigate immediately.

A department spokesman said: ‘We take all reports of sexual exploitation extremely seriously and if these disturbing allegations are proven, we expect Mitie to take swift and robust action. 

‘We have instructed Mitie to provide us with a full account of their investigation. 

Home Office permanent secretary Matthew Rycroft is understood to have raised concerns about the allegations with services giant Mitie, which manages deportations. (stock photo) 

‘We expect the highest standards of behaviour from our suppliers, both in the UK and overseas, and if we find any wrongdoing has taken place, we will always act in the strongest possible terms.’

Mitie said it was probing the claims and insisted that any employee who broke ‘strict professional standards’ would face disciplinary action. 

However, the firm said it had so far found ‘no evidence that this behaviour occurred during our time managing this contract’, which it took on in May 2018.

A spokesman said: ‘We have not been provided with evidence to substantiate these claims nor have any details of specific instances been shared with us. 

‘However, given the serious nature of these allegations, we have been conducting an investigation.’