Keir Starmer says asylum plan in Rwanda will cost taxpayers billions of pounds
Rory Stewart criticized the announcement that asylum seekers would be sent to Rwanda as “very strange and very disturbing”, adding that he did not believe anyone would actually be sent there.
“I do not like what they are doing in Rwanda, I think they are transferring the British problem and trying to remove it from sight and consciousness,” said the former African minister.
“It’s very strange and very disturbing.
“I was in Rwanda two weeks ago. There are many positive things, as you know, for Rwanda. It stemmed from genocide, went through an extraordinary process of national healing, but it is also an authoritarian state.
Elsewhere, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said today that the partnership with Rwanda would be “fully in line with our international legal obligations”, while insisting that it was “one of the safest countries in the world”.
“However, we expect this to be challenged in court,” Mr Johnson added as he faced what he called “a great army of politically motivated lawyers”.
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The UN calls on governments to refrain from “outsourcing” asylum seekers
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called on governments to refrain from “externalizing asylum seekers” following the UK’s announcement of a plan for migrants in Rwanda.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees tweeted: “UNHCR strongly opposes the externalization of asylum seekers in other countries. We call on governments to abstain.
“People seeking safety and protection who have few alternatives should not be punished.
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 7:55 p.m.
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The deadline for registration for the local elections in the United Kingdom in May is midnight tonight.
You can register by clicking on the link here
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 7:35 p.m.
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PM prepares for legal bids over forced removal of asylum seekers in Rwanda
Ministers have been prepared for legal challenges due to widely criticized plans to forcibly send to Rwanda tens of thousands of asylum seekers arriving in the UK on an unauthorized crossing of the English Channel.
Boris Johnson insisted that his scheme to detain and transport migrants more than 4,000 miles to East Africa at the expense of the taxpayer was not “draconian and compassionate.”
But both the prime minister and Priti Patel said on Thursday that they were ready to fight attempts to use the courts to block plans that have been heavily criticized by refugee charities.
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 7:16 p.m.
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Watch: An eight-day clip shows the Home Secretary denying that the UK will send refugees to Rwanda
An eight-day clip shows the Home Secretary denying that the UK will send refugees to Rwanda
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 6:51 p.m.
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The UK will send asylum seekers to Rwanda, despite providing protection to dozens of people fleeing the nation over the past decade
The United Kingdom will send thousands of asylum seekers to Rwanda for treatment, despite providing protection to dozens of people fleeing the African nation over the past decade.
The first people to be relocated to Rwanda under the deal will receive official notifications within weeks, the government said, with the first flights expected to take place in the coming months.
The plans drew fierce criticism from refugee charities, human rights groups and politicians, with the Refugee Council calling it “cruel and nasty” and Amnesty International concerned about the nation’s “grim human rights record”.
My colleague Chiara Giordano also has:
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 6:27 p.m.
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The government is “transferring the British problem” to Rwanda, says Rory Stewart
Former Cabinet Secretary Rory Stewart said the announcement that asylum seekers would be sent to Rwanda was “very strange and very disturbing”, adding that he did not believe anyone was really being sent there.
“I don’t like what they’re doing in Rwanda, I think they’re offshore the British problem and trying to get it out of their sight and mind,” he said, but added that he was not someone who believed in open borders. “I don’t like the way they do it, but I think there’s an argument for what the government is trying to do.”
The former African minister said: “It is very strange and very disturbing.
“I was in Rwanda two weeks ago. There are many positive things, as you know, for Rwanda. He came out of genocide, he went through an extraordinary process of national healing, but he is also an authoritarian state.
“But I think the most striking thing is that we are essentially exporting our problems to another country, and I think it’s especially strange to do that in Rwanda, because Rwanda is one of the poorest countries on earth.
Asked if he thought the plan was a gimmick and if anyone would actually be sent to the East African nation, Mr Stewart said: “I think you put your finger on it. I think it is extremely unlikely that anyone will really go. I don’t think they have clarified the details.
“And my strong suspicion is that they made this announcement to divert attention from Covid parties and the Prime Minister’s fines and lies in parliament.
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 6:10 p.m.
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Former Secretary of Home Office criticizes Rwanda’s plans as “morally reprehensible” and “probably illegal”
A former permanent secretary of the interior office has called the government program for migrants in Rwanda “inhuman”, “morally reprehensible”, “probably illegal” and potentially “impossible”.
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight program, Sir David Normington said: “Well, let’s assume that it will actually happen, because there are many obstacles that need to be overcome, and the Prime Minister acknowledged that – so he will not solve the problem very quickly.
“But let’s assume that this will happen and the government is serious about it.
“My assessment is, above all, that it is inhumane. It is morally reprehensible. It is probably illegal and may not be feasible.
He continued: “These are probably victims of repression in their own country – certainly traffickers and smugglers.
“And soon they will fall victim to the British government, which will give them a one-way ticket to a country they don’t know, don’t want to go, can’t speak the language and will stay there.
“Whatever we think about the problems of immigration and asylum in this country, the treatment of people in this way is simply not acceptable.”
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 5:52 p.m.
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Former Tory MP Imran Ahmad Khan resigns from parliament after sex sentence
Former Conservative MP Imran Ahmad Khan has announced that he is stepping down as an MP from Wakefield after being convicted of a sex crime.
His resignation sparked explosive by-elections in West Yorkshire, one of Labor’s traditional strongholds in the so-called Red Wall, which fell to Boris Johnson’s Tories in the 2019 general election.
The race will be a crucial test of Sir Keira Starmer’s ability to win back the Red Wall and the extent to which the prime minister’s call has been tainted by his police fine for a party that disrupted the blockade of 10 Downing Street.
More from our political editor Andrew Woodcock:
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 5:40 p.m.
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Diane Abbott calls Priti Patel a “disgrace” for the Rwanda migrant scheme
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 5:27 p.m.
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About 54% of Britons believe that Boris Johnson should resign as prime minister, according to a new survey by Ipsos
Emily Atkinson April 14, 2022 5:15 p.m.
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