EU leaders are poised to agree plans to send asylum seekers to holding camps outside Europe.
The dramatic shift comes after the bloc called Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda scheme “not a humane and dignified migration policy”.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has written to leaders to encourage ‘out-of-the-box thinking’[/caption]
Ahead of a meeting tomorrow, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen wrote to leaders to encourage “out-of-the-box thinking”.
She said they should learn from Italy’s scheme to send male migrants to Albania. The first group, rescued by Italian coastguards, are due to arrive today.
“We should explore possible ways forward as regards the idea of developing return hubs outside the EU,” she wrote.
EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson previously called the Rwanda scheme “not humane and dignified”.
Sir Keir Starmer shelved the policy as soon as Labour came to power.
Yesterday Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick said that the camps outside the EU were “not going to succeed”.
He told Times Radio: “That’s a policy that we have considered which is called offshore processing.
“Yes, here individuals are sent to a country and their applications heard. If they are successful they then come to your country.
“If not, your country still has to take responsibility and find them a way back to their home country or another safe country.
“I don’t see that as a viable way forwards. The proposal that I pursued, the Rwanda scheme, was a different one.
“That is one whereby if you try to come illegally to the United Kingdom you will be removed and never come back.”
