The Tory government's migration plan, involving deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, is under fire in the British parliament. Despite a court ruling declaring an earlier version of the plan illegal due to safety concerns, a new bill aims to classify Rwanda as a safe third country. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, however, is facing a potential defeat due to hardliners who believe the bill doesn't go far enough.
Graham Stuart, the Climate Secretary, dropped out of the COP28 climate conference to attend the vote on the draft bill, causing controversy. The opposition and the Tory right wing have been fierce attackers of the Prime Minister, putting his authority at risk just months before the general election.
The court had ruled that Rwanda was not a safe third country, leaving the deportation plan in jeopardy. Following the decision, the British government announced a new agreement with Rwanda, signed recently by Home Secretary James Cleverly, which classifies Rwanda as a safe third country and restricts the legal process for migrants.
But critics believe that the new bill only offers a partial solution. Some Conservatives also advocate for withdrawal from international human rights treaties, which could result in a major defeat for the Prime Minister if the right wing rejects the bill.
This controversial project was initially agreed upon with Boris Johnson but has yet to be implemented. Despite a record number of migrants arriving in the UK, the deportation of illegal refugees to Rwanda is seen as a significant means of addressing illegal migration.
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- The UK High Court had initially declared the policy legal, but subsequent rulings by the Court of Appeal and the UK Supreme Court declared it unlawful due to concerns over Rwanda's safety as a country for asylum processing.
- The Labour Party has argued that the policy is ineffective and an expensive gimmick that will fail to deter small boat crossings across the English Channel.
- The Labour Government, in power after the July 2024 general election, cancelled the Rwanda offshore processing policy and instead developed a new approach focused on tackling smuggling gangs.
- The new approach emphasizes the need to address the root causes of migration and provide legal routes for migrants, shifting away from the previous policy's emphasis on deterrence.
