Labour Explores Deporting Failed Asylum Seekers to Balkan Detention Centres
The UK government is evaluating a controversial plan to address rising Channel crossings by relocating rejected asylum seekers to third-country facilities, with Albania as a potential partner.
- Labour's proposal targets only failed asylum seekers, differing from the Conservative Party's scrapped Rwanda plan, which included individuals awaiting asylum decisions.
- The plan aims to deter Channel crossings, which have surged by 24% in early 2025 compared to the same period last year, with over 5,000 arrivals.
- The UK would pay Balkan countries, including Albania, Serbia, and North Macedonia, to host deported individuals in designated detention centres.
- Critics, including the Refugee Council and European rights groups, have raised concerns about the plan's legality, cost, and potential humanitarian violations.
- Opponents argue the policy could exacerbate labour shortages in the UK, while Labour defends it as a necessary step for a functional asylum system.
Metro 
