A public inquiry begins on December 5 into plans to turn Aldington prison, in Kent, into a detention centre for 300 asylum seekers.
The Times says the planning dispute would be replicated many times if Ann Widdecombe becomes home secretary in a Conservative government.
She wants all applicants arriving in the UK to be put under lock and key. Local Tories are not the least bit amused with the idea of such a centre in their backyard. The Home Office has costed Widdecombe’s proposal for new detention centres at £2bn to build and another £1bn a year to run.
The Times 27/1//00 page 3-4 (Times 2)
