Plans to manage migrant arrivals until 2030 suggests Government ‘not confident’

Fresh plans for a reception centre at Manston for at least six years suggests the Government are “not terribly confident they are going to be able to control illegal migration traffic”, a Kent MP has said.

North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale said, speaking with Home Office officials, that even if all the boats were stopped, they expect there will be people trying to get into the country for the foreseeable future.

The Home Office has earmarked at least £700 million to manage the arrival of migrants on small boats until 2030, with the option of extending the contracts until 2034, according to commercial plans highlighted by the BBC.

The contract bid, posted on the Government website, said it was looking for management and services for a national reception centre at Manston, which is currently being transformed by the Home Office to create “permanent, purpose-built facilities”.

Sir Roger’s comments come as the Home Office’s top civil servant told MPs the Government was “planning for the worst” when questioned about the tender.

The Conservative MP said he has no particular issue with the site itself, which is “mainly well-run”, causes “no problems” for local people and creates jobs.

He said: “What is planned, that is the grey area, I have no particular problem with them replacing tented marquees with brick-build buildings if that is what they propose to do.”

But he expects assurances from previous ministers that the facility will be temporary to be continued, and that the land would then be used to house local families in need.

Sir Roger also criticised previous Home Office ministers over communication and urged that local parties be properly consulted on future plans.

He said: “There has been a lamentable and discourteous level of contact between Home Office ministers and the local authority and myself.

“I understand someone from Kent County Council has been consulted. They have no planning responsibility for it at all. This is where things start to get derailed.”

The Home Office’s bid is also looking for commercial partners at a centre at Western Jet Foil in Dover, for registering and processing people arriving in the UK via the English Channel and providing medical checks.

The website adds: “The aim of these centres is to provide a safe and secure environment, allowing Border Force to process arrivals with dignity and respect.”

It comes as the Government has said its fresh Rwanda Bill, which would allow asylum seekers in the UK to be deported to Kigali, is a key part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to “stop the boats” by acting as a deterrent for people seeking to cross the English Channel.

Appearing before the Commons Public Accounts Committee on Monday, the Home Office’s permanent secretary Sir Matthew Rycroft was asked – in light of the Rwanda plan – why the tender was needed.

He said: “This is an advert, not a commitment … We are working very hard to stop the boats and to stop all illegal migration. But we also need to plan for all plausible scenarios, including for failing to fully achieve that.

“And Manston, in particular, is a very flexible resource, very well located near Dover … so I think it’s reasonable to say that there’ll be good use to be able to make of a place like Manston in the future. So that’s why it’s worth investing.”

Asked if the Home Office was planning for the worst, he said: “We’re planning for the worst as we should, I think, even though we obviously hope for the best and we’re doing all of this activity in order to get the best possible outcome.”

He said it was “totally normal” for people enquiring about the tender to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Asked about the contract bids, a Home Office spokesman said: “This is an ongoing procurement project therefore it would be inappropriate to comment.”