British Tory party may send all asylum seekers to Caribbean territories for processing

British shadow home secretary, 
Mr Oliver Letwin
(Conservative Party photo)

Thursday, October 9, 2003

BLACKPOOL, England: The Guardian newspaper in England reports that all asylum seekers arriving in Britain would be immediately deported to a "far offshore processing" island under Conservative Party plans recently announced by the shadow home secretary, Mr Oliver Letwin.

Mr Letwin compared the plan with the "Pacific solution" under which asylum seekers in Australia are sent to camps on islands such as Nauru in the south Pacific, Papua New Guinea and a proposed centre on the Christmas Island. 

He said the Australian experience had shown that it resulted in an "immediate and vast reduction in asylum claims" as an island thousands of miles away had a "big disincentive effect" on economic migrants.

However, Mr Letwin admitted that he did not "have the slightest idea" where the island would be.

Home Office minister Caroline Flint said: "The Tories had better start looking for this mystery island which would happily take every asylum applicant in Britain".

It is likely they would have to fall back on the last remaining elements of the British Empire - the overseas dependent territories - where Britain still retains ultimate colonial power.

This could leave a Tory government trying to persuade or, failing that, imposing its will on places in the Caribbean region like the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos, and Bermuda.

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