DOWNING Street tonight ruled out sending Channel migrants to a tiny island 4,000 miles away.
Reports suggested Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, first considered in 2020, was being looked at again in case the government’s Rwanda plan fell through.
No10 insisted they were ‘not actively pursuing any proposals’ to send asylum seekers to Ascension Island
But No 10 insisted they were “not actively pursuing any proposals” to ship asylum-seekers there.
It comes after Home Office Minister Sarah Dines told Times Radio this morning that “additional measures” were being considered.
Insiders admitted new advice had been sought but the plan was found to be unworkable.
Ex-minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg tonight claimed it would cost £1million a head.
He added: “You’ve got to send out Portakabin residences for your builders.
“Then you’ve got builders who have to live there whilst they’re doing the building, then you have to build the premises for the migrants to live in.
“Then you’ve got to persuade people that they want to go and live on Ascension Island for long periods to run the centre.
“And the costs just went up and up and up and up.
“And that’s why when I was involved in the discussions, it was just thought to be impossibly expensive to do.”
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said: “The government has resorted to reheating proposals that were floated, and abandoned, three years ago.”
