The Home Secretary pledged to fix the "fundamentally broken" asylum system in the UK to make it "firm and fair". Addressing the Conservative Party conference Priti Patel promised to introduce legislation next year for the "biggest overhaul" of the system in "decades". Her announcement appears after it was reported earlier this week that the UK is considering sending asylum seekers to an island in the Atlantic.
Priti Patel had asked officials to explore the construction of an immigration centre on Ascension Island, over 4,000 miles away from Britain in the South Atlantic. She had also said changes "would take time" and she would "accelerate the UK's operational response" to the issue in the meantime. More than 400 migrants made the crossing in a single day last month, leading Mr Johnson to warn that Britain had become “a target and a magnet for those who would exploit vulnerable people in this way”.
However Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said this is a “ridiculous idea from an incompetent government.” His spokesperson said the proposal was “ludicrous, inhumane, completely impractical, and hugely expensive for taxpayers.”
