THE UK Government has been accused of “pandering” to the far-right with its plans to send refugees to Rwanda amid concerns ministers cannot guarantee the safety of those sent there.
The new scheme, which will see an unspecified number of refugees who land in Britain after making the perilous crossing across the English Channel, has raised concerns about the safety of migrants sent to the Central African country.
SNP MP Alison Thewliss recently made a factfinding trip to Napier Barracks, a notorious encampment for asylum seekers in Folkestone, Kent, which she described as “dehumanising”.
READ MORE: Priti Patel accuses SNP of 'slur' against Rwanda after refugee plan questions
The visit has sparked concerns the conditions for asylum seekers in Rwanda will be as poor or worse, Thewliss (below) said.
She told The National: “My recent visit to Napier Barracks allowed me to see first-hand how profoundly unsuitable and dehumanising such sites are for asylum seekers.
“The dilapidated former barracks used by the Government to house asylum seekers are inadequate, lacking in facilities and people there struggle to get access to lawyers and adequate healthcare.
“It is frightening to imagine what a facility located in another country thousands of miles away from scrutiny will be like.”
And she accused the Government of engaging in a “dog whistle” move to appease their supporters on the far-right.
She added: “During the worst cost of living crisis to date, the Government should be focusing on allowing all people to have enough money to feed themselves, rather than pandering to the dog whistle politics of the far right.”
The Napier Barracks are a former military base that have been turned into temporary accommodation for asylum seekers
Thewliss asked Home Secretary Priti Patel yesterday how the facilities would be scrutinised and noted concerns from Human Rights Watch of “arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and torture in official and unofficial detention facilities”.
Her concerns were dismissed as being covered in the agreement between the UK and Rwanda, which Patel accused the MP of having not read in detail.
READ MORE: The road to Rwanda: How asylum seekers could end up 4000 miles away in East Africa
The memorandum of understanding between the two countries notes asylum seekers will be held in accommodation “that has been provided, at all times, in accordance with Rwandan laws and regulations”.
But there is no mention of whether the UK will be given the ability to scrutinise accommodation used to house those sent.
Thewliss added: “There are serious questions of transparency and how the Home Office can ever be held to account for what happens to the individuals it sends to Rwanda.
“It is time for the government to get a grip and stop with these tactics to divert the attention away from the chaos within this Government. Thousands of human lives are at risk here, they must be protected.”
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