Lampedusa Tory scheme will not deter arrivals or save lives, say workers on rescue flotilla

Aid workers on the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is one of Europe's busiest landing points for asylum seekers, have condemned the Rwanda plan as they prepare for another busy summer of bedraggled arrivals and deaths at sea.

- Rajeev Syal

They have called on European governments to open more safe routes to claim refuge if they wish to "stop the boats".

The comments follow a flying visit to Lampedusa on Wednesday by James Cleverly, the home secretary, on the day that the Rwanda deportation bill received royal assent.

Last year, the dusty, rocky island with a population of about 6,000 saw an estimated 110,000 arrivals, while there were 3,105 deaths across the Mediterranean Sea.

In the main harbour, a flotilla of rescue boats run by charities and the Italian coastguard is being readied for another summer of crossings over the treacherous 118-mile stretch from Tunisia. Toddlers' lifejackets and body bags for drowned victims are being counted out and placed on the decks.

Austin Cooper, 33, a mediator and care coordinator for the rescue charity Sea Watch, who has been preparing a vessel for the summer, questioned Cleverly's motivation for the short visit.