MO v The Secretary of State for The Home Department

Facts

The appellant, MO, is a citizen of Iraq of Kurdish ethnicity who left Iraq unlawfully and travelled through Europe, claiming asylum in Germany before coming to the United Kingdom. He made an application for leave to remain on 28 January 2024, which the Secretary of State for the Home Department refused by a decision dated 7 July 2025. He appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) on protection and human rights grounds. His case was that he had conducted an extra-marital affair with a married woman in Iraq, that the relationship was discovered, that he was beaten by the woman's husband and that her family would take revenge on him as a matter of honour. He further claimed that he lacked the identity documents required for return, and that he and his British partner would face insurmountable obstacles to continuing their relationship in Iraq, that he would face very significant obstacles to integration and that his removal would have unjustifiably harsh consequences. The Secretary of State disputed that he was a member of a particular social group, disputed his credibility (relying on his failure to claim asylum in France) and did not accept that he enjoyed family life with his partner. The appeal was heard by video at Columbus House on 11 September 2026, the appellant giving evidence through a Kurdish Sorani interpreter.