Heavy setback for Sunak
Court calls planned deportations to Rwanda illegal
06/29/2023, 1:10 p.m
It is a defeat for British Prime Minister Sunak: an appeals court in London calls the government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda illegal. After all, Rwanda is not considered a safe third country, they say.
A court has put a stop to the British government’s controversial plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. The London Court of Appeal ruled that the project was unlawful. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government wants to deport thousands of migrants under a deal struck with Rwanda last year. This is to discourage migrants coming to the UK from France across the English Channel in small boats.
The decision is a major blow to Sunak, who has listed stopping the influx of refugees as one of his five priorities. The three judges of the Court of Appeal ruled by majority that Rwanda cannot be treated as a safe third country. Judge Ian Burnett explained the decision that the conclusion was that the shortcomings of the asylum system in the East African country were too great. There is a real risk that asylum seekers deported to Rwanda would be returned to their home countries, where they could face persecution and other inhumane treatment. Burnett himself stated that he did not share this assessment of the other two judges.
Last year, around 45,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to Britain in small boats – more than ever before. So far this year over 11,000 people have entered the UK illegally via this route. A few days ago, the British government issued a calculation according to which the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda would cost 169,000 pounds (197,000 euros) per deportation.
The first planned deportation flight a year ago was stopped by an injunction from the European Court of Human Rights. This had prohibited the British government’s plan until the court proceedings in Great Britain have been completed. In December, the High Court in London ruled that the planned deportations were lawful. Human rights groups then appealed to the Court of Appeal.