Boris Johnson wants first
‘illegal’ migrants flown to Rwanda in six weeks
Evening Standard – 17-04-2022
The Prime Minister wants to see
the first migrants handed a ‘one-way
ticket’ to Rwanda flown out in roughly
six weeks as the Government battles to curb Channel crossings.
Boris
Johnson is
reportedly keen for the first flight carrying those deemed to have arrived in
the UK illegally – including those taking to the water to embark on the
perilous journey in small boats – to leave late next month, marking the start
of plans to move thousands within the next few years.
But the
Government is braced for the widely criticised plans to be challenged in the
courts, which could prove an obstacle to their progress.
Andrew
Griffith, the director of policy at No 10, said it is hoped the scheme will be
operational in “weeks, or a small number of months”.
Asked
when he expects the first person will be sent to Rwanda, the Conservative MP
told BBC Newsnight: “It doesn’t require new legislation – we think that we can
do this under the existing conventions.
“And
therefore this should be possible to be implemented and operationalised in
weeks, or a small number of months. So we are ready to go in that sense.”
Both Mr
Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel have acknowledged the plans could be
challenged in the courts.
Andrew Griffith, the director of
policy at No 10, said it is hoped the scheme will be operational in ‘weeks, or
a small number of months’ (Aaron Chown/PA) / PA Wire
The costs
of the programme remain uncertain, but The Times reported that each migrant
sent to Rwanda is expected to set British taxpayers back between £20,000 and
£30,000.
The
newspaper said this would cover accommodation both before and after the
journey, as well as the cost of a seat on the flight itself.
It comes
as the Home Secretary has struck a £120-million economic deal with Rwanda, and
cash for each removal is expected to follow.
On
Thursday, protesters wielding signs with the message “refugees welcome here”
gathered outside the Home Office,
declaring their intention to “fight back” against the move.
Charities
condemned the plans as “cruel and nasty”, claiming they would fail to address
the issue and cause more “suffering and chaos”, while criticising Rwanda’s
human rights track record.
But Mr
Johnson insisted the scheme was not “draconian and lacking in compassion”.
Giving a
major speech in Kent, he said the agreement was “uncapped” and Rwanda would
have the “capacity to resettle tens of thousands of people in the years ahead”.
He said
the partnership would be “fully compliant with our international legal
obligations”, while insisting Rwanda was “one of the safest countries in the
world”.
Johnson insisted the scheme was
not ‘draconian and lacking in compassion’ (Matt Dunham/PA) / PA Wire
“But
nevertheless, we expect this will be challenged in the courts,” Mr Johnson
added, as he hit out at what he called a “formidable army of politically motivated
lawyers”.
During a
visit to the Rwandan capital of Kigali, Ms Patel said the Home Office was
prepared for legal challenges, as she accused lawyers of “fleecing the British
taxpayer”.
Stephanie
Boyce, the president of the Law Society of England and Wales, warned there were
“serious questions” about whether the plans complied with international law.
“It is
particularly disappointing – this week of all weeks – the Government is
repeating misleading suggestions that legal challenges are politically motivated,”
she said.
“If the
Government wishes to avoid losing court cases, it should act within the law of
the land.”
Labour MP
Nadia Whittome, who attended the protest outside the Home Office, said the
“incredible” turnout showed the Government had “badly misjudged the mood of the
country” on the issue.
She said:
“I think people’s response to Afghan refugees, to Ukrainian refugees… people of
this country have been so, so much more generous than this Government.
“I think
most people that you know agree, it’s not a Sudanese engineer who put up our
energy prices by 54 per cent. It’s not a Syrian labourer who got rid of all our
council homes and then didn’t build any more.
“It’s the
fault of this Government that people are struggling. People don’t have the
lives that we deserve.”
Labour
leader Sir Keir Starmer called the plans “unworkable”, “extortionate” and an
attempt to distract from Mr Johnson being fined for breaching his own pandemic
laws.
The deal
with Rwanda is understood to effectively be a fresh removals arrangement, where
those deemed by the Government as inadmissible under UK asylum rules will be
relocated.
It is
thought the East African nation’s government will process the claims and those
who are successful will be provided Rwandan refugee status.
This
would be different from plans to offshore processing of UK asylum claims, which
would involve sending migrants to another country or location while their
applications are determined and then returned once approved.
Home
Secretary Priti Patel signed the historic £120 million deal with Rwandan
officials during a visit to the capital Kigali;
Mr
Johnson insisted Rwanda was one of the safest countries in the world;
It
emerged the first migrants to be sent from Britain will be put up in a former
tourist hostel with scenic views over the city;
The
scheme – including Home Office charter flights to Rwanda – is likely to cost
between £20,000 and £30,000 a head;
The naval
operation in the Channel was given a mission to make sure 'no boat makes it to
the UK undetected';
The PM
said it was his aim to bring the numbers arriving in the country illegally
'down to zero', but admitted that was unlikely 'any time soon';
www.samigration.com
