The United Kingdom has proposed a plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda, a move that has sparked controversy and legal challenges. The plan, championed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, comes in response to an increase in asylum-seekers arriving in the UK, primarily from Iran, Syria, Albania, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Despite the legal hurdles, the UK government has already paid Rwanda an additional £100m this year as part of the deal, with another payment of £50m expected next year.
The plan has been challenged in UK courts and ruled illegal on the grounds that Rwanda is not a safe country for refugees. The UK government, however, argues that a treaty with Rwanda allows it to pass a law declaring Rwanda a safe destination. The Supreme Court previously declared the scheme unlawful due to the risk of asylum-seekers being returned to their country of origin where they could face ill-treatment. In response, the government has outlined a new treaty with additional safeguards and assurances, and an emergency bill aiming to declare Rwanda as a safe country and limit legal challenges.
The cost of sending someone to a safe country is estimated to be £169,000, compared to £106,000 if they remain in the UK. Despite the ruling, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to press on with the plan. The opposition Liberal Democrats criticized the payment as an unforgivable waste of taxpayers' money. Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick resigned this week, saying the bill did not go far enough. Prime Minister Sunak insists the bill goes as far as the government can without scuttling the deal because Rwanda will pull out of the agreement if the UK breaks international law.
