Labour MPs set to revolt over asylum bill

David Blunkett faces a revolt by Labour backbenchers next week over plans to exclude asylum-seeker children from British schools.

The Home Secretary plans to quash backbench opposition to his plans to set up centres in which people seeking leave to come to Britain will be housed, treated for illnesses and educated.

But Labour MPs, outraged by what they see as a step towards "segregation", have vowed to rebel against the Government. Thirty Labour MPs have signed an amendment rejecting the move and the number voting against the Government when the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill is debated on Tuesday, is expected to "increase considerably".

Neil Gerrard, the Walthamstow MP, has helped organise the dissent. He has written to all 131 MPs who signed a recent Commons motion protesting about the plans. Many have pledged their further support for his amendment to halt the changes.

Mr Gerrard told the IoS: "A lot of people do feel strongly that you should not be separating children in this way." He said some MPs may also take issue with other aspects of the Bill, including the limitations on the right of asylum-seekers to appeal decisions by the Home Secretary.

Among the signatories to the amendment is Peter Kilfoyle, the former Defence minister. He said: "Children are a very special case when it comes to asylum-seeking. There is a political dimension to this but we are also under a moral obligation here."

Alan Simpson, the Labour MP for Nottingham South, said: "I am fairly certain that there will be not just the 'usual suspects' but a broader cross-section of people who feel there are real dangers of going down this path of segregating. There are real concerns about creating these sorts of social ghettos that are populated only by refugees. I am not sure this has been properly thought out."

But Mr Blunkett is in no mood to compromise as higher numbers of asylum-seekers come to Britain – a trend expected to be heightened by people fleeing India and Pakistan. He will rely on the Government's whips to ensure that Labour MPs are strong-armed into supporting the measure – an attempt to minimise the embarrassment of a rebellion at a time when the Government's public profile has taken several knocks.

A Government source said: "Mr Blunkett will use the full force of the party machine to crush this rebellion on asylum. It is the biggest test for his policy yet but he will probably stick firmly to his tough line."

Sources close to the Home Secretary said yesterday: "Our view is very clear: we cannot expect local communities which have these accommodation centres near them to have local schooling overwhelmed by asylum seekers."