President Barack Obama has proposed a plan to close the US prison at Guantánamo Bay in a final effort to persuade a sceptical Congress to help him shut the controversial site before he leaves office, fulfilling a campaign pledge.

Fifteen years after Guantánamo was opened to detain prisoners captured in Afghanistan, the US is holding 91 inmates at the site. While 35 detainees have been approved for transfer to other nations, the plan proposes moving the remaining detainees to one of 13 unnamed prisons in the US.

“For many years, it’s been clear that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay does not advance our national security,” Mr Obama said on Tuesday. “Guantánamo harms our partnerships with allies and other countries, whose co-operation we need against terrorism?.?.?.?It is viewed as a stain on our broader record of upholding the highest standards of rule of law.”