LBZ, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department

Facts

The claimant, LBZ, is a Chinese national who has lived in the United Kingdom since 2018, having entered on a visit visa valid from 1 February 2018 until 1 February 2020 after leaving China because of problems with a loan shark. He intended to travel on to the United States but never did, remaining instead in the United Kingdom, where he worked in kitchens and on construction sites in Manchester, Lancaster and Edinburgh, living in accommodation provided by his 'bosses' and tied to the work. He described being beaten, threatened, pushed against walls and struck with an object, and being paid late, less than he was owed, or not at all; he struggled to find enough food and sometimes went into casinos for free food. On 27 January 2025 he was found outside a police station vomiting and having a stroke, and was admitted to hospital. He claimed to be a victim of trafficking. By a decision of 28 October 2025 the Secretary of State found no reasonable grounds to believe he was a victim of trafficking, accepting his account and that the 'Action' and 'Means' components of the trafficking definition were met, but holding that the 'Purpose' component was not. A reconsideration request was rejected on 7 January 2026. LBZ sought judicial review on four grounds; permission was refused on the papers by Mansfield J on 14 May 2026, and the application was renewed orally.