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Guardian

Tory pair backed ‘rushed and misjudged’ asylum site purchase, watchdog says

Guardian
Summary
Nutrition label

80% Informative

Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden were on the committee that backed the 15 m purchase.

The former immigration minister and former chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster were members of the small ministerial group that oversaw the purchase of the Northeye site in Bexhill , East Sussex , as the government attempted to move asylum seekers from hotels.

Jenrick , now the shadow justice minister, ultimately paid 15.4 m for the abandoned prison site.

The main risks on the site were ground contamination, asbestos in buildings, flooding risks and issues with mains connection to utilities.

Over the last three years , the department’s initial estimated budgets for asylum, border, visa and passport operations amounted to 320 m. But the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said it spent 7.9bn over the period. A Home Office spokesperson said: “The contents of this report relate to the previous government’s purchase of the Northeye site. “We will continue to restore order to the system so that it operates swiftly, firmly and fairly.”.

VR Score

82

Informative language

81

Neutral language

69

Article tone

formal

Language

English

Language complexity

57

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

short-lived

Source diversity

1

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