Hague's camps for refugees would cost £2bn
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.William Hague's tough line on immigration was dealt a blow yesterday with the release of figures indicating the cost of keeping all asylum-seekers in secure detention centres would be at least £2bn.
Government figures said that the centres, which are a key part of the Conservatives' asylum policy, would cost £1.68m to start up and a further £420m a year to run.
The Liberal Democrats seized on the figures, which were given in a written parliamentary reply. Simon Hughes, the party's Home Affairs spokesman, said: "The start-up costs of William Hague's policy show that it was not a properly considered initiative. This was not a realistic policy but irresponsible politics in the middle of an election campaign."
Mr Hague's rhetoric on asylum led to accusations by the British National Party that he was stealing its policies. But the Tory leader's focus on asylum-seekers has put Labour on the defensive.
In response to the figures, the Tories stressed that asylum support costs amounted to £600m last year, significantly more than the £420m needed annually to run the secure detention centres.
Party sources said the figures also failed to take account of the savings that would inevitably occur on asylum support costs if the policy was implemented. A Tory source added: "These figures are misleading because they also failto reflect that the policy would act as a deterrent to asylum-seekers to come to Britain."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments