Labour’s plan to scrap the Rwanda asylum scheme would “throw open the front door” to mass immigration, a minister has warned.
Michael Tomlinson said that Sir Keir Starmer’s intention to process applications overseas would make Britain a magnet for illegal migrants.
The Labour leader has previously dismissed the bid to deport some asylum seekers to the African nation as a “gimmick” and made clear his party’s opposition.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper and shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock have reportedly been speaking to asylum experts to draw up an alternative proposal to tackle small boats crossings in the Channel.
Former Home Secretary David Blunkett and other European countries have also been consulted over a plan that would see successful asylum applicants allowed to come to the UK.
While explicit backing for an offshoring scheme would mark a significant shift for Labour, Sir Keir did signal earlier this month that he would not be opposed to considering such an approach.
“Other countries around the world do have schemes where they divert people on the way and process them elsewhere. That’s a different kind of scheme.
“And, look, I’ll look at any scheme that might work,” he told reporters after a speech in Buckinghamshire.
Labour has reportedly drawn up “three tests” for any such scheme – that it is cost-effective, credible enough to deter migrants, and would avoid the legal challenges that have delayed the Rwanda plan.
Senior party sources said that in theory they could back an offshore asylum processing scheme in Rwanda but it would be unlikely to meet the value for money or credibility test. “The cost and practicality would rule it out,” a senior party source said.