The Conservative Party's deputy chairman has called for asylum seekers to be sent to Orkney if the government’s Rwanda deportation plan fails.

Lee Anderson said it would be the “perfect” location for people fleeing persecution.

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Asked about reports the Home Office had considered sending migrants to the Falkland Islands as a backup to the Rwanda scheme, Mr Anderson told  GB News: “I did think about this and I mentioned it to Boris: I mentioned the Falkland Islands and [South] Georgia about two years ago and he smiled at me.

“But I don’t think it’s fair on the Falkland Islands to be honest; they don’t want these illegal migrants going down there.

“There’s a better option: We can keep them on British soil if you like. We’ve got the Orkneys or some remote Scottish island. I know it’s a bit parky up there this time of year.

“But if people are genuinely escaping war or persecution then a nice Scottish island with a few outbuildings would be suitable."

He added: "This is a beautiful country. Parts of Scotland are a ‘go to’ destination, the remote islands – I’d like to be able to afford a place up there.

“If we can get some accommodation up there, keep these people safe – these people want to be safe, they’re fleeing so-called persecution from these war-torn countries. If we can put them on a nice, safe island in the North of Scotland, job done.

“If we can find an island in the Orkneys or up there that’s got no one on there to start off with, put some decent accommodation on, then it’s job done.

“The Falkland Islands, I think it’s a little bit far to go and it’s not fair on the Falkland Islanders who have got their own problems at the moment with their sovereignty, with Argentina.

“But if people are genuinely escaping violence or persecution then a nice little island in the north of Scotland is perfect.”

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that Rishi Sunak's flagship policy to send asylum seekers to the African country to be processed was unlawful.

The court upheld a ruling which found that there was a real risk of asylum seekers deported to Rwanda having their claims wrongly assessed or which could lead to “refoulement,” when someone is sent back to the country where they face persecution.  

At the time, Mr Anderson said ministers should “ignore the law” and start removing asylum seekers immediately.

He described the Supreme Court judgment as a “dark day for the British people” and said ministers should “just put the planes in the air now and send them to Rwanda”.

“It’s time for the Government to show real leadership and send them back, same day. I think we should ignore the law and send them straight back the same day,” he said.

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Responding to the comments about Orkney, the local MP, Alistair Carmichael, said: “This is not a serious proposition.

"I would be astonished if Lee Anderson could even find Orkney – or in his words 'the Orkneys' – on a map.

"His remarks show inhumanity towards desperate and vulnerable people – and disdain towards island communities to boot.

“Anderson has form for brainstorming Tory policy live on air.

"Obviously, this is a novel sort of brainstorming as it does not actually involve the engagement of a brain but instead looks more like an exercise in corralling as many prejudices as possible into one space and calling it a policy.

"If Rishi Sunak cannot bring his deputy chair into line then the only conclusion is that he approves of these attitudes.

“It is yet another attempt by a Conservative MP to kick up dust and distract attention from the complete failure of this government to manage our asylum and immigration system.

"Every day the backlog of unprocessed asylum applications gets longer. They should focus on fixing that, instead of looking around for new rows to pick.”

A Scottish Tory spokesperson said: “This suggestion has no basis in fact and is not UK government policy.”