Nigel Farage and former Conservative minister Tom Pursglove have condemned a judge’s ruling that declared an asylum seeker with a receding hairline to be a child, despite estimates suggesting he was aged between 23 and 25.
Speaking on GB News, Farage called the decision a “total abuse of our generosity” after the tribunal ruled the Sudanese man should be treated as a 17-year-old.
“The British public are just furious at this,” Nigel said.
The Home Office had previously determined the asylum seeker was “much older”, noting his receding hairline, thick facial hair, and broad chest.
Nigel Farage was furious at the decision
GB NEWS
Pursglove warned of “obvious safeguarding risks” associated with placing adults in children’s settings.
The ruling came from an immigration tribunal overseen by Judge Hugo Norton-Taylor and Judge Sarah Pinder, who overturned the Home Office’s original age assessment.
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Norton-Taylor, who previously allowed a Palestinian family to enter the UK through a Ukrainian refugee scheme, ruled alongside Pinder that it was “more likely than not” the asylum seeker had provided a true account of his age.
The judges dismissed claims about the man’s thick facial hair, noting a photograph from April 2024 showed “very light facial hair on his upper lip” at most.
They also rejected the council’s argument that his wisdom teeth indicated an older age.
The asylum seeker arrived in Britain on September 6, 2023, claiming to have been born in Omdurman on April 3, 2007, making him 16 at the time.
Tom Pursglove joined Nigel Farage on GB News
GB NEWS
He told officials he had fled war in Sudan, travelling through Libya, Tunisia, Italy and France before crossing the Channel.
The Home Office claimed he was “calculated” and had attempted to conceal information about his age, name, origin and identity documents.
The council responsible for his care has been ordered to pay more than £30,000 towards his legal costs.
In December 2023, he was moved to children’s accommodation while awaiting the tribunal’s decision.
Pursglove expressed particular concern about the educational implications of the ruling.
“That individual would be in a position to go to school with children. That cannot be right,” the former Conservative minister said.
The case has highlighted ongoing debates about age assessment in the asylum system.
The tribunal’s decision means the asylum seeker will continue to be treated as a child during his application process.
The ruling requires Hounslow council to provide him with support and services in accordance with the Children Act 1989.
