In response to the news that the Government is introducing offshore processing of asylum seekers in Rwanda, Emily Fielder, Head of Communications at the Adam Smith Institute, said:

“The Prime Minister has called the Government's decision to send asylum seekers to offshore processing centres 'innovative.' This overlooks the fact that Australia already has such a system in place; one which has been criticised for its failure to ensure basic human rights - hardly a model the UK should be following.

The inhumanity of this policy aside, it will neither deter asylum seekers from crossing the channel, nor will it cost the Government less. Rather than throwing out ineffective red-meat policies which will cost the British taxpayer millions of pounds, the Home Office should should work more constructively with European partners, and focus on evidence-based solutions to reducing dangerous asylum seeker crossings.”

Notes to editors:  

For further comments or to arrange an interview, contact Emily Fielder, emily@adamsmith.org | 0758 477 8207.

The Adam Smith Institute is a free market, neoliberal think tank based in London. It advocates classically liberal public policies to create a richer, freer world.