Tories to send asylum seekers 'far away'
17.55PM BST, 7 Oct 2003
[new concept in "out sourcing".. pb]
itv.com
The Tories have unveiled plans to immediately send all asylum seekers to a "far offshore processing centre".
Speaking at the Conservative Party conference in Blackpool, the shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin said he expected that the deterrent effect of such a system would produce a "vast immediate reduction" in asylum claims.
He said that the overhauled asylum system would save enough money to pay for an additional 40,000 police officers on the streets of Britain.
However, The Refugee Council said Mr Letwin's proposals were "unlawful, inhumane and ridiculous".
Deputy chief executive Margaret Lally said: "We would doubt very much whether these proposals would be either lawful or workable.
"The idea of exiling those already fleeing their own countries is both inhumane and ridiculous."
In his keynote speech to the conference, Mr Letwin said he wanted to "reclaim the streets" from criminals by giving voters the power to elect an American-style sheriff to run the local police.
Outlining his plans to remove much control of policing from the hands of the Home Secretary, he said: "We are going to give people a real say on the policing of their neighbourhoods.
"We will remove, by law, the Home Secretary's power over local policing.
"We will give every Chief Constable a cast-iron legal guarantee of operational independence. And we will put each local police force under the direct, democratic control of local people."
Mr Letwin vowed that a Tory government would boost police numbers in a bid to emulate the success of New York in cutting crime.
"We must put the police back on our streets. That is why the Conservative Party is committed to having 40,000 more police officers than there were at the beginning of this year."
Also in Blackpool, Tories joined in giving three cheers for Norfolk farmer Tony Martin, who shot and killed a burglar.
The cheers were led by IT consultant Tim Metcalfe, who won an ovation at the party conference when he called for the return of hanging.
Mr Metcalfe, from Weetwood, Leeds, said: "Let us show the country that we really do mean business on crime by showing our support for Tony Martin ..."
Party activists joined enthusiastically in shouting "hip, hip hooray" in backing for the convicted farmer, who was released recently from prison.
In his speech, during the law and order debate, Mr Metcalfe, who hopes to become an MP at the next election, said: "Make prison a genuine punishment, bring back solitary confinement, take away their TVs and snooker tables and let them earn privileges.
"Bring back birching for young tearaways that terrorise council estates and vandalise graveyards, castrate paedophiles and bring back hanging."
Meanwhile, the Tories have become "too defensive" and lacking in "confidence and coherence", according to the party's controversial former chief executive Barry Legg.
Mr Legg, who quit when the role was abolished in May after just three months in the post, said the electorate found it difficult to relate to the party because "all too often" it had no point of view. |
