Labour is drawing up its own version of the Rwanda plan – which could see the UK collaborating with the European Union – with a focus on offshore processing rather than deportations, it has been revealed.
The plans, which are aiming to be legally watertight to avoid conflict with the European Convention on Human Rights, plan to protect the Opposition against accusations by the Conservative Party that they are weak on immigration.
A deportation-style scheme similar to Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan has been ruled out by Sir Keir Starmer, to be replaced with offshore processing schemes in which asylum seekers have claims processed outside the country. There are three key requirements to Labour’s own scheme – which they would try and introduce if they win the 2024 general election.
These are that it must be cost-effective, will credibly deter migrants from crossing the Channel in dangerous small boats, and avoid the legal conflicts that have led to repeated challenges to the Rwanda plan. Sir Keir has also ruled out any plan to automatically block people from being granted asylum in the UK.
This marks a direct contrast to Mr Sunak’s more hardline stance, which bars anyone arriving illegally from claiming asylum. In a move that will spark fury among Brexiteers, Labour’s scheme could involve collaboration with EU countries to process asylum claims. The party has also been criticised by left-wing commentators for what they say is an “inhumane” approach.
In a process described as “upstreaming”, Labour is considering allowing migrants to apply for asylum outside of the UK. They would have the claims processed before arriving in the country, building on several historic precedents. Those who are successful would be granted the right to enter the UK – while those who are rejected would be banned.
British officials would remain in charge of processing claims under these plans, it has been reported. As a result, they would still be in compliance with the UN Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Where exactly the processing will take place has not yet been set out by Labour, as they would reportedly need to wait until they were in government to begin such negotiations.
Lord David Blunkett, who worked with the Blair government on a similar scheme with Tanzania in the early 2000s, told the Times: “What’s absolutely crucial is who is doing the processing and that they’re allowed back into the country. Without it, you’re merely transferring the problem on to somebody else.
“But if British officials are doing the processing, then you’ve got a scheme that fits with the conventions.”
Michael Tomlinson, the minister for Countering Illegal Immigration, said Sir Keir Starmer’s intention to process applications overseas would make Britain a magnet to illegal migrants, claiming it “throws open the front door to Britain”.
While Zoe Gardner, an independent immigration expert, said Labour’s proposal was “disappointing”.
She told LBC: “What a competent and an honest Labour government would do is level with the public and say: ‘There will always be a certain number of people who seek safety in the UK.
A spokesman for left-wing pressure group Momentum also hit out at the idea, saying: “This is a disturbing report. Labour should not be the party of more deportations and more effective offshoring, and it doesn’t need to be. As migration experts have said, the way to minimise perilous small boat crossings is to expand safe routes for refugees.”
The party has reportedly been consulting both immigration and asylum experts, and European countries that are considering Rwanda-esque off-shoring schemes.
Austrian, Germany, Italian and Danish leaders are all understood to be exploring proposals to process asylum claims outside the EU in a similar style to the proposed Labour strategy.
US President Biden, meanwhile, is considering an approach somewhere between the Rwanda and Labour plans, where illegal migrants trying to cross the border with Mexico would be sent to safe third countries, where their claim could be processed.
A similar approach has previous been taken with Ukrainian refugees who were allowed to apply from countries such as Poland.
A senior Labour source told the Times: “We’ve always looked at the small boats issue as a problem that needs to be solved, and we’ve always been open to a range of possible solutions.”
They added: “The Tories like to compare Rwanda to the schemes that other European countries are considering, but this is a false comparison because other European governments are looking at options around offshore processing, whereas the Rwanda scheme is about sending asylum seekers to another country permanently.”
Express.co.uk has contacted the Labour Party for comment.
