Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson has been ridiculed after he called for asylum seekers to be sent to remote Scottish islands if the government’s Rwanda deportation plan fails.
The Rwanda plan was the UK Government’s big idea for stopping the boats coming to the UK from across the English channel.
Scottish islands including Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles were considered in 2020 by Priti Patel, the home secretary at the time, as possible locations to build asylum processing centres, but the idea was dropped in favour of Rwanda.
This month the Supreme Court ruled that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was illegal.
Judges found that sending anyone to the African country would be in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as there was a “real risk” they could be returned to their home countries to face “persecution or other inhumane treatment”.
Mr Sunak is now desperately trying to come up with a plan ‘B’. Asked about reports the Home Office had considered sending migrants to the Falkland Islands as a backup, Mr Anderson said it was “a bit far to go”.
“It’s not fair on the Falkland islanders who have got their own problems at the moment with their sovereignty, with Argentina.
“There’s a better option: We can keep them on British soil. We’ve got the Orkneys or some remote Scottish island. I know it’s a bit parky up there this time of year.
“But if people are genuinely escaping war or persecution, then a nice Scottish island with a few outbuildings would be suitable.”
The MP for Ashfield for is a populist right winger known for making offensive comments.
Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael said: “This is not a serious proposition. I would be astonished if Lee Anderson could even find Orkney or, in his words, “the Orkneys” on a map.
“His remarks show inhumanity towards desperate and vulnerable people and disdain towards island communities.”
A Scottish Conservative spokesperson said: “This suggestion has no basis in fact and is not UK government policy.”
Ariane Burgess MSP, the Scottish Greens MSP for the Highlands & Islands, said Mr Anderson’s “insensitive and thoughtless remarks further underline how out of touch the Tory Westminster Government is from the needs of our islanders”.
“Many island communities have already welcomed migrants with open arms, not least in Lewis and Bute, where those displaced by the Syrian Crisis have established thriving businesses, become key parts of their communities and added to the diversity and vibrancy of Island life.
“Rural communities have been crying out for more power to be devolved over migration and these latest remarks underline why. Our islands are not empty wildernesses – they are thriving communities. The Orkney Islands have seen a steady growth in population over recent years and regularly appear on “most desirable places to live” lists. They are not a remote place with ‘a few outbuildings’.”