Gibraltar hits back over migrant plan

GIBRALTAR HAS hit back at suggestions the UK could send asylum seekers there for processing under Priti Patel’s plans to overhaul the immigration system.

The British overseas territory is thought to be a location under consideration by officials, as well as the Isle of Man.

But Gibraltar’s government said it had not received any proposal on the issue from the UK and chief minister Fabian Picardo has written to the Home Secretary

to say it will not happen and the Isle of Man said it has not been contacted by the UK Government about any proposals.

In his letter, Mr Picardo said there were constitutional and legal issues, as well as the “geographic limitations” of the territory which prevented it being used to process asylum seekers.

The chief minister said that while “we will not ever shirk our responsibility” to help Britain, “our geography makes some things difficult, however, and the processing of asylum seekers to the UK in Gibraltar would be one of them”.

“Immigration is an area of my responsibility as chief minister under the Gibraltar constitution and I can confirm that this issue has not been raised with me at any level.”

A spokesman for the Isle of Man Government said: “The Isle of Man is self-governing, the UK Government would not be able to open any sort of processing centre without consent.”

Ms Patel has vowed to stop migrants making the perilous journey across the English Channel and is expected to publish details of plans overhauling the UK’s asylum and immigration system in the coming weeks.

Downing Street did not deny the Home Office is looking at proposals of using Gibraltar and other overseas territories to process asylum seekers.