British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Rwandan President Paul Kagame are looking forward to the first flights under Britain’s controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda leaving in the spring, they said in a statement on Tuesday.
Sunak is keen to resettle asylum seekers, who arrive in Britain on small boats each year, in the East African country, even though his plan for Rwanda has faced a number of legal challenges.
During a meeting in London early Tuesday, Sunak and Kagame discussed the plan, also called the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership.
A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said Sunak briefed the Rwandan president on the next stages of the bill in Parliament. It added:
Both leaders looked forward to flights departing to Rwanda in the spring.
Last month, Sunak suffered another setback: the House of Lords, or upper house of parliament, passed five amendments to his new Rwanda bill. The amendments, if passed, would make it harder for the House of Commons, or lower house, to declare Rwanda a “safe” country and oblige the government to abide by domestic and international law. If passed, the amendments would seriously affect the main purpose of the new bill, as the required changes would make it easier for judges to challenge it.
In early January, a majority of British lawmakers voted in favour of a controversial bill that would have allowed the government to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
However, the House of Lords voted to delay the main immigration treaty between Britain and Rwanda, reportedly the first time it has voted against ratifying the treaty in more than a decade.
The Rwanda plan has been one of the government’s most controversial migration policy plans as it has attracted international criticism and mass protests across the UK.
Last January, Sunak said tackling illegal migrants crossing the Channel in small boats was among his government’s five priorities as more than 45,000 migrants arrived in the UK by this route in 2022.
