Residents in a rural village, dubbed "Yorkshire Guantanamo" by a local councillor, are urging UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak to open up his new swimming pool and gardens to 1,500 asylum seekers.
Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire has been chosen, without consultation, by the government to house 1,500 asylum seekers, despite having only 800 residents.
Despite objections to the announcement, Home Office officials met local councillors last week and told them the decision was final.
Mr Sunak was last year granted permission to build a swimming pool, gym and tennis courts in a paddock at his multimillion-pound vicarage in nearby Kirby Sigston, near Northallerton.
Some residents have written to Mr Sunak, inviting him to open up parts of his property to the asylum seekers.
“As you are probably aware, Linton-on-Ouse will have 1,500 new residents soon, and we have really limited activities for them," said the letter, which has been seen by The Yorkshire Post newspaper. It goes on to mention the role played by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel in the decision.
“The young men that Priti and Boris will be housing here will have virtually no money and nothing to do, so we want to offer a warm welcome to these refugees and help them integrate into UK society, just as your parents and Priti’s parents were welcomed and offered opportunities," the letter said.
“So we thought of you, given that there are no facilities in Linton-in-Ouse for the 1,500 young men and you’re just a short bus journey away.
“We understand that you’ve recently built a pool and a gym; this would be a great Northern welcome to help make the men feel safe and happy. If they could spend the day here, we can send them with a packed lunch.”
The Home Office has said the asylum seekers will move to the village within weeks.
More than 1,500 single men seeking asylum will be housed in the former RAF base in the village, where Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, trained.
Councillor Darryl Smalley has labelled the scheme “Guantanamo-on-Ouse" and demanded the government backtrack on its plan, calling it "ill thought out".
The Home Office has said the site will contain healthcare and leisure facilities, including a football pitch, library and cinema.
“Those living at the site will be free to come and go but are expected to be on site overnight,” the Home Office said.
“If anyone has not returned by 10pm, a safeguarding call will be made to them. This is not under curfew conditions; it is based on following up on the safety and welfare of the individual.
“There will be on-site recreational and cultural activities.”
Ministers said the centre would "provide safe and self-sufficient accommodation".
Hambleton Council chief executive Dr Justin Ives told the BBC that the men will be moved in within weeks.
"In the Home Office's opinion, the decision to host the centre there is final, subject to them being satisfied that it can be operated safely," he said.
"From a practical basis, they hope to have people there within the next four to six weeks. It will start off with 100 asylum seekers and the maximum they envisage at the site will be 1,500."
The move to house asylum seekers in Yorkshire is part of an overhaul of the UK's immigration system, which includes plans to send some migrants to Rwanda.
Under the programme, anyone deemed to have arrived in the UK “illegally” would be sent to the African nation.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has said she will use “every tool and every piece of legislation at our disposal” to remove migrants who arrive in the UK illegally.
She said the government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda would send a “clear signal” on its immigration policies.
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The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
Greatest Royal Rumble results
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Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
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Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
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Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
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Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
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The biog
From: Ras Al Khaimah
Age: 50
Profession: Electronic engineer, worked with Etisalat for the past 20 years
Hobbies: 'Anything that involves exploration, hunting, fishing, mountaineering, the sea, hiking, scuba diving, and adventure sports'
Favourite quote: 'Life is so simple, enjoy it'
more from Janine di Giovanni
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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9.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
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9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
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