EU considers offshore centres for deportees as it hardens on migration

Idea of return hubs' gains traction after mainstream EU politicians were unnerved by rise of far right

• Why immigration is a big issue again

The EU has opened the door to the untested idea of return hubs" - offshore centres for people deported from the bloc - at a summit dominated by plans for a tougher migration policy.

The idea of the offshore processing of asylum claims or vaguely defined return hubs" in non-EU countries has gained traction in recent weeks, after large gains for the far right in European elections in June unnerved mainstream leaders across the continent.