MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

London considering Ascension island as plan B, if the scheme to send irregular migrants to Rwanda fails

Ascension Island was a vital point for the UK Task Force during the Falklands war, 41 years ago, and now is the stopping point for the South Atlantic air bridge

The UK Government is reportedly considering reviving plans to fly people who arrive in the UK by unauthorized means to Ascension Island. Multiple reports say ministers and officials are considering the island as a “plan B” if the scheme to send migrants to Rwanda fails. plan B” if the scheme to send migrants to Rwanda fails.

 The mid Atlantic small, volcanic island could host an asylum processing centre in an attempt to reduce the number of small boats crossing the Channel. The island is also a stop over for the South Atlantic airbridge (usually twice a week) connecting the Falkland Islands with Brize Norton.

Ascension Island is a British Overseas Territory, located about 4,000 miles from the UK and situated in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is east of Brazil and west of Angola.

The island is around 807 miles northwest of St Helena and just under 34 square miles in size. There is no permanent or Indigenous population on the island, rather it is made up of employees and their families who work on the island.

There are around 800 people living on the island at any point in time, made up of St Helenians, Americans and Britons. The island has two settlements, Georgetown and Two Boats.

It has two military bases, which are home to the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Air Force, along with an airfield and a BBC relay station.

Ascension Island has a handful of shops, gyms and swimming pools, and even a cinema and an array of outdoor activities.

Ascension Island is not a part of the UK, rather it has it’s own Constitution that it shares with St Helena and Tristan da Cunha and is self-governing. The UK is responsible for defence, international relations and security on the island.

Ascension Island has five councilors and the Governor of St Helena, currently Nigel Phillips.

The currency on the island is the St Helena pound which has the same worth as the pound sterling. The island was used as a base by the US during the Second World War and as a support base for the RAF during the Falklands War.

The island has the Green Mountain, which has a peak of 859 metres, as well as low coastal areas and an array of native wildlife including turtles, seabirds and crustaceans.

This is not the first time the British government has considered South Atlantic British islands as a plan B if the Rwanda scheme to send migrants to Rwanda fails. At one moment during PM Boris Johnson administration, the Falkland Islands were mentioned.