TORY Government proposals to process migrants on an island off the coast of Scotland will be met with the “strongest possible opposition”, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
It emerged yesterday that Home Secretary Priti Patel has instructed her officials to work up plans for new centres to hold asylum seekers while their applications to stay in the UK are processed.
Patel had told staff to look into building such facilities in Ascension Island, 4000 miles away from the UK in the South Atlantic – and later Downing Street refused to rule out basing centres in Scotland.
The policy appears to be influenced by Australia, which has used offshore processing and detention centres for asylum seekers for decades.
READ MORE: Fury as detention centres for asylum seekers could be built on Scottish islands
The Home Office proposals have been met with fury, with the SNP’s spokesperson on immigration, Stuart McDonald, calling them “utterly toxic and inhumane”.
“The fact that the UK Government even considered shipping refugees thousands of miles to remote volcanic islands in the South Atlantic, like some sort of modern day penal colony, brings shame on the UK and typifies Westminster’s hostile approach to migrants and asylum seekers,” he said.
This morning, amid news that North Sea oil rigs had been considered as locations for the centres, the First Minister hit out at the plans.
A journalist summarised the proposals on Twitter, writing that Tory ministers are “concerned” they will be “met with opposition from Nicola Sturgeon and objections from local residents”.
She replied: “They can rest assured that any proposal to treat human beings like cattle in a holding pen will be met with the strongest possible opposition from me.”
Yesterday a Downing Street spokesman insisted the centres would ensure “we provide protection for those who need it”.
He added that it is “important that people are deterred from making life-threatening journeys” to make it to the UK.
A Home Office official said: “The UK has a long and proud history of offering refuge to those who need protection. Tens of thousands of people have rebuilt their lives in the UK and we will continue to provide safe and legal routes in the future.
“As ministers have said we are developing plans to reform policies and laws around illegal migration and asylum to ensure we are able to provide protection to those who need it, while preventing abuse of the system and the criminality associated with it.”
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