ALL three leading contenders to be next Tory leader and Prime Minister have indicated that they would either review or revoke plans for a refugee asylum centre at former RAF Linton-on-Ouse, The Press has learned.

Thirsk and Malton Conservative MP Kevin Hollinrake says he personally asked Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt what their stance would be.

"Rishi, who is a North Yorkshire member of Parliament, said it would be unfair for that community because it would have such an impact," Mr Hollinrake said.

"Penny said it was 'not a smart policy' and Liz said she would not proceed with it."

Mr Hollinrake, who has campaigned against the use of the former airbase as a reception centre for up to 1,500 young men, said it was 'too early to tell' whether this marked the beginning of the end of Home Secretary Priti Patel's plans for the base.

"I don't want to raise expectations unduly,' the MP said.

But, with the Home Office already having confirmed that the plans for the centre are on hold until they can be deemed to be safe and in conformity with legal and planning requirements, Mr Hollinrake said it would make sense for them now to be paused until a new Prime Minister was in place.

There would then be a new Home Secretary, Mr Hollinrake said, who would 'look at the whole policy with a fresh pair of eyes'.

Plan for the centre, which the Home Office said would be used to house 1,500 ‘destitute single adult male asylum seekers’ for up to six months while their asylum applications were processed, caused shock and outrage when they were revealed earlier this year.

York Press:

Villagers demonstrating outside Linton on Ouse village hall against plans to open an asylum seeker reception centre at the former RAF base. Picture: Ben Ferguson

Locals said that there had been no consultation - and that such a large reception centre would overwhelm the tiny village.

Refugee charities, meanwhile, condemned the plan as senseless and inhumane.

Paul Wordsworth of York City of Sanctuary said the government would be effectively 'criminalising' the asylum seekers - many of whom would be traumatised after fleeing war zones in places Iraq, Syria and Yemen - by sending them to a 'prison-like' environment.

Responding to the news today that the three leading contenders to be next Prime Minister all had strong doubts about the scheme, Dr Olga Matthias of the Linton-on-Ouse action group said she was 'cautiously optimistic' that whoever became next PM would review or revoke the plans.

"Obviously, we would be absolutely delighted if the whole plan was revoked," she said.

Dr Matthias said the number of asylum seekers entering the country was actually falling - the problem was the Home Office's failure to process them, which had led to a backlog of 114,000 cases.

The way to solve the problem was for the Home Office to process the applications more quickly - not dump asylum seekers in large reception centres.

"It is the wrong plan in the wrong place," she said. "The Home Office have broken their own guidelines. There are inadequate facilities, infrastructure, services, and access - it's the wrong plan!"