The government might scrap their Rwanda asylum plan, but not out of choice. Now migrants might be moved to Ascension Island.
Arguably, the new plan is arguably a lot worse.
Ascension Islands migrants
The British territory, about 1,000 miles off Africa, is being reviewed as a contingency option while ministers await Supreme Court judgment in the autumn over plasn to fly migrants to Rwanda.
Asked on Sky News whether the rumours about Ascension Island were correct, Home Office minister Sarah Dines said: “We are pretty confident that Rwanda is a legal policy.
“The High Court and the Lord Chief Justice found that it was, so that is what we are focusing on.
“But like any responsible government, we look at additional measures, so we are looking at everything to make sure our policy works.
“We need to reduce the pull factor of illegal criminal gangs getting people to this country, basically abusing the system.”
Priti Patel
It is not even an original plan the Ascension Island policy was suggested in Whitehall three years ago at the request of the then home secretary, Priti Patel.
When this idea was floated by Patel, the then shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said: “This ludicrous idea is inhumane, completely impractical and wildly expensive. So it seems entirely plausible this Tory government came up with it.” The plan was also described as “implausible” by a Home Office source.
Asked why it was being considered again, Home Office minister Sarah Dines told Sky News: “Well, times change … This crisis in the Channel is urgent, we need to look at all possibilities and that is what we are doing.”
The Mail loved it, as you would expect…
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