Refugee council warns of asylum 'catastrophe'

THE Government’s sweeping asylum reforms and plans to send migrants to Rwanda could cause a “system meltdown” costing the taxpayer billions of pounds, campaigners have warned.

The Refugee Council called for immigration laws to be repealed to avoid catastrophe as it estimated recent changes to the system may end up emptying the public purse of up to £17.1 million a day – or around £6.2 billion a year – in accommodation costs alone.

The charity also suggested 115,575 asylum seekers could be stranded in a “permanent limbo” by the end of 2024. 

It comes as the Government’s Safety of Rwanda Bill formally became law after receiving royal assent, paving the way for deportation flights to get off the ground.