The British police is being sued for damages over the fire at the Yarl's Wood asylum detention centre which was badly damaged in a fire following a riot two weeks ago.
Capita McLaren, the loss adjusters representing Group 4, the security firm which runs the centre, has lodged a writ under the Riot Damages Act 1886 for £43 million sterling worth of damage caused by the rioting.
Mr Alistair Burt, Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire, which covers Yarl's Wood, said the writ was an "outrage" because the detention centre was not a public place.
"People in Bedfordshire cannot understand the basis of this claim," he told BBC Radio 4's Todayprogramme.
"The police were the last people to be responsible for Yarl's Wood. It's run by Group 4 on behalf of the Home Office - the police don't have entry there unless they're invited.
"Actually what has happened is an insurance company has found a smart get-out. They receive presumably large premiums in order to insure the place, and they've got a get-out-of-jail-free card signed by local taxpayers in Bedfordshire, and it's wrong," Mr Burt continued.
The fire started after detainees at Yarl’s Wood rioted causing a fire to damage a large part of the £100 million complex. Twenty detainees are still on the run since the fire on February 15th.
PA