Anger over Blunkett's plans for instant deportation

David Blunkett provoked anger and dismay yesterday when he said asylum-seekers would be subject to fast-track deportations with no rights of appeal in Britain.

Mr Blunkett announced the last-minute amendment to the Government's immigration Bill in what appeared to be an attempt to deflect attention from new figures that show a sharp increase in asylum applications during the past three months.

The decision was promptly denounced as "impractical", "unfair" and "clear nonsense" by immigration experts. Critics said the idea had a hollow ring because there was little sign other countries would be prepared to take Britain's rejected asylum-seekers.

But Mr Blunkett said he would be amending the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill – already before Parliament – to allow "wholly unfounded" claimants to be sent home without appeal.

"We will return these people to their country of origin as soon as we have rejected their claim," he said. "If they choose to appeal, they will have to do so from their home country. This decision would be taken literally within a matter of one or two days of any claim made within this country."

Keith Best, director of the Immigration Advisory Service, said the plan should be "resisted". He said: "The idea that you can send people back to another country and then still ensure they can exercise their right to appeal is clear nonsense. It's wrong in principle."

The Refugee Council said identifying what the Home Office called "clearly unfounded" cases could lead to the re-introduction of the hated White List of "safe" countries from which asylum-seekers were automatically refused.

A spokeswoman said: "We are extremely worried about this. The likelihood would be that a decision would be based entirely on the country the person has come from rather than the merits of the case."

She noted that countries such as Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Turkey have been on previous White Lists but were now countries from where many asylum-seekers were accepted.

The Home Office insisted yesterday the fast deportation plan was more than a publicity stunt and there was a real prospect of other countries accepting the return of fast-tracked asylum-seekers rejected by Britain.

Putting the policy into law will strengthen Mr Blunkett's hand when he meets his French opposite number, Nicolas Sarkozy, next month to negotiate immigration matters.

The countries will discuss the possible return to France of failed asylum-seekers who cross the Channel to Britain, as well as the closure of the Sangatte refugee hostel near Calais. Britain will also be able to put added pressure on European Union applicant states from Eastern Europe to accept prompt return of citizens who fail to get asylum in Britain.

Mr Blunkett is frustrated by difficulties faced by immigration officials in returning those asylum-seekers whose claims have been turned down.

Countries including China and Sri Lanka are unwilling to take responsibility for people who have often destroyed their identity documents before arrival in Britain.

Most removals in the past quarter were to Eastern Europe, with 545 people returned to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and 180 to the Czech Republic, which both have EU ambitions.

Figures released yesterday show asylum removals were almost static at 2,920 in the first quarter of 2002, well below targets of 30,000 removals a year.

The Government has chartered private aircraft to return asylum-seekers and a leaked memo suggested officials were prepared to use RAF planes to step up removals.