Clashes expected at EU summit as migration ‘return hubs’ top agenda

Plans for processing asylum claims offshore gain traction among leaders unnerved by rise of far right

• Why immigration is a big issue again

European leaders are expected to clash over the controversial idea of processing asylum seekers offshore at a summit dominated by plans to toughen up EU migration policy.

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