Tory and Liberal Democrat peers joined forces to throw out the Home Secretary’s proposals to house refugees in large centres in country areas. They argued that leaving frightened, confused and traumatisedasylum-seekers in remote locations would create problems for villagers as well as refugees. An amendment to the Nationality, Asylum and Immigration Bill, arguing that the centres should be restricted to areas “suitable to the needs of the people to be accommodated”, was passed by 171 to 107.Later, plans to excludeasylum-seekers’ children from mainstream schools and educate them inside the camps were defeated by a single vote. The Government also faced criticism in the Lords over the vetting of staff in reception centres and the time taken to process applications.

The votes mean Mr Blunkett’s Bill will return to the Commons for further debate. But the Government made clear that it would not allow peers to “derail” the legislation, which must clear both Houses before the session ends in November if it is to become law. Leading criticism of his plans to house asylum-seekers in reception camps in rural areas, Baroness Anelay of St Johns, for the Tories, said the social, cultural and language needs of asylum-seekers, who would have nothing to do in the countryside, had to be taken into account. “We do have to exercise humanity alongside effective decision-making,” she said.But the junior Home Office minister Lord Filkin said: “Please don’t fetter the Government’s hand in a sensible experiment in trying to deal with this major problem.”The plan to educate asylum- seekers’ children within the centres, rather than in mainstream schools, was beaten by 83 to 82.

It had been condemned by the Bishop of Portsmouth, the Right Rev Kenneth Stevenson, who said the proposal would “stigmatise and marginalise” refugee children. His statement was supported by the Bishops of Durham, Winchester, Salisbury and Hereford.Charities welcomed the votes. The chief executive of the Children’s Society, Bob Reiteneier, said: “This is a vote for all children … Child refugees deserve to be treated the same as every other child.” Nick Hardwick, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: “We hope the Government will listen very carefully to the widespread concerns expressed in the House of Lords today regarding the site of accommodation centres.”The proposals put forward by the Refugee Council for smaller centres situated in urban areas is a practical way forward which would meet the Government’s objectives, treat refugees decently and reduce impact on the local community.” A Home Office spokesman said: “The Government will consider the implications of this result, but the House of Commons gave the Bill a third reading by an overwhelming majority.

The provision of accommodation centres is key to the Government’s immigration reform programme. On that basis, we will not allow this crucial reform to be derailed by the House of Lords.”. When I settle on a course, I stick to it.”Do not underestimate the determination of a quiet man. the Conservatives are back.”Mr Duncan Smith risked angering traditionalists by telling delegates in blunt language that they had to stop clinging to the past.”We must understand the way life in Britain is lived today and not the way it was lived 20 years ago.”We cannot remain the only part of Britain untouched by the changes that we ourselves unleashed.”Yes, it is right to be proud of the past but it is wrong to try and live in the past. Until people see that our party has learned the lessons of 1997, we will go on getting the result of 1997.”The party that I lead will live in the present and prepare for the future.”He added: “So to those who want to re–fight the battles of the past and to those who want to live in the past, I simply say this: You stay in the past; we are moving on.”The Tory leader told delegates the basis of his policy platform would beencouraging active citizenship.”If we as politicians do not show the people of Britain that we trust them to lead their own lives, then they will never again trust us.”Trust them to choose their schools and hospitals, trust them to look after their families and trust them to run their businesses. Trust them.”That is the message I will take to the people of Britain, every minute of every hour of every day until we take on this Government head to head at the next General Election.”Mr Duncan Smith said that principle would be applied to reforming the public services.Five years of New Labour had, he argued, left “our schools, our hospitals, and our criminal justice system barely adequate at best and truly shocking at worst.”The Government, he argued, was spending money more quickly than the nation was earning it and taxing those who could least afford it. But that spending was failing to produce results.”Our public services are suffering from the same problems that afflicted our economy a generation ago.