Sunak to challenge Court of Appeal on Rwanda decision

Rishi Sunak has vowed to challenge the Court of Appeal’s decision that deporting migrants to Rwanda is unlawful after campaigners and asylum seekers won an appeal against the controversial plan.

The PM said he fundamentally disagreed with the court’s verdict that the Central African nation had not provided enough safeguards to prove it is a “safe third country”.

The ruling is the culmination of a number of court challenges over human rights concerns regarding the policy, which aims to deal with the influx of asylum seekers arriving on British shores from across the Channel in small boats. The first scheduled flight to Rwanda in June 2022 was blocked by a last-minute interim measure from the European Court of Human Rights. 

Another party less than impressed with the Court of Appeal’s decision was the Rwandan government. Its spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, said: “While this is ultimately a decision for the UK’s judicial system, we do take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe country for asylum seekers and refugees.

“Rwanda is one of the safest countries in the world and we have been recognised by the UNHCR and other international institutions for our exemplary treatment of refugees.”

Suella Braverman, the Home Secretary, denied that after defeats in the courts and the House of Lords, the government’s Rwanda plan was unravelling: “Our Bill is absolutely essential as an element in fixing this problem. It will allow us to detain and remove those who arrive here illegally. 

“The problem is out of control – 45,000 people arrived here illegally last year. It is costing the British taxpayer £6m a day in hotel accommodation.”

Braverman insisted that she remained fully committed to the policy. Even so, there might be a few secret sighs of relief rippling around Whitehall. After all, Braverman can now blame leftie activists for scuppering what would have been a tough, no-nonsense solution to an issue that the Tories believe resonates with the electorate. This way, the Home Secretary has been spared the embarrassment of the policy failing miserably, the chances of which were quite a bit higher than zero.

For one thing, the scheme being blocked is likely to save the taxpayer money. Earlier this week, a Home Office economic assessment revealed that the plan to deport migrants to Rwanda would cost £169,000 per person – £63,000 more than keeping them in the UK. The government was banking on a deterrent effect for the scheme to make economic sense. 

All is not lost for Sunak. The Court of Appeal decision was split two-to-one, with the Lord Chief Justice siding with the original High Court ruling that the scheme is legal. The decision may well go the other way on appeal to the Supreme Court. 

Yet the ruling is undoubtedly a blow for the government, at a time when the PM and his team could really do with things going their way.

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