Migrants: British government abandons controversial accommodation center project

The former Linton-on-Ouse air base in northern England, which was to be a new accommodation center for asylum seekers.

AFP - OLI SCARFF

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

The British government has announced that it is abandoning its plan to convert a former air base in the county of Yorkshire to house asylum seekers.

This is London's latest reversal in its policy of combating illegal immigration.

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With our correspondent in London

,

The Minister of Defense indicates that he " 

" for the use of the site, an old air base in the north of England, and therefore has withdrawn his offer to the Ministry of the Interior.

The now ex-future accommodation center was to be inspired by the camps on the Greek islands and house around 1,500 migrants before deporting them to Rwanda to seek asylum there.

The scheme had been unanimously opposed in the town of Linton-on-Ouse, including by the constituency's Tory MP who called it " 

 ".

His abandonment by the Ministry of Defense seemed inevitable since the two candidates for the succession of Boris Johnson,

, announced that in the event of victory, they would give it up.

The migratory partnership with Rwanda should make it possible to stop crossings of the Channel and to target the networks of smugglers, but the relocations are for the moment suspended by court decisions.

Since April and the announcement of this new policy, 13,000 people have arrived on English shores.

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