In February 2020, the Home Office awarded Serco a £200 million contract to run the Brook House and Tinsley House immigration removal centres, in addition to the Yarl’s Wood detention centre it currently runs. This move has sparked anger as Serco has previously been accused of abuse and sexual assault.

A spokesperson for NGO Bail for Immigration Detainees said “We are dismayed that Serco continues to be awarded contracts to run detention centres in the UK despite obviously having failed to protect people in their custody in the past, including a string of sexual abuse scandals in Yarl’s Wood.”

The Chief Executive of Serco said the company “understood the sensitivity and complexity of this role” and was “committed to ensuring that there is a healthy, decent environment in the centres”.