Labour is reportedly considering a scheme that would see asylum seekers’ claims processed elsewhere.
Keir Starmer is mulling “detailed plans” for an offshoring scheme as he seeks to deter Tory attacks on Labour’s alternative to the Rwanda plan, the Times said on Monday.
The Labour leader has previously dismissed the plan to deport people to the African nation as a “gimmick” and made clear his party’s opposition.
However, the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, and shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock have reportedly been speaking to asylum experts, former home secretary David Blunkett and other European countries to draw up an alternative proposal to tackle small boats crossings in the Channel.
Under the plan, asylum claims would be processed overseas, with successful applicants allowed to come to the UK.
While explicit backing for an offshoring scheme would mark a significant shift for Labour, Starmer 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,” he told reporters after a speech in Buckinghamshire. “And, look, I’ll look at any scheme that might work.”
Labour has been contacted for comment about the report, which claims that the party has drawn up “three tests” for the scheme – that it is cost-effective, credible enough to deter migrants and would avoid the legal challenges that have delayed the Rwanda plan.
The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, and the home secretary, James Cleverly, are hoping fresh legislation, now in the Commons, will be enough to revive the flagship policy after it was declared unlawful by the supreme court earlier this year.
A Labour “red line” would be any scheme that would automatically block migrants being granted asylum in the UK, according to the Times, and British officials would be required to be in charge of processing claims.
This is not the first time the party has looked at such an approach.
In the early 2000s, Blunkett and the Tony Blair government were believed to be in talks with Tanzania about the possibility of housing asylum seekers in the country while claims were processed in the UK.
Blunkett 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.”
