Liz Truss accused of holding up human rights reports over Rwanda criticism

It comes while scheme to deport asylum seekers to central African country has been put on hold

Liz Truss may be delaying the government’s international human rights report as it contains criticisms of Rwanda, a Labour peer has reportedly said.

Lord Wood of Anfield said it could be an attempt to “delay scrutiny” over what the report says about the country where the UK wants to send asylum seekers.

The Foreign Office’s human rights and democracy report has been published no later than July over the past decade.

But there was still no sign of the 2021 assessment - which sets out Foreign Office work on human rights and analysis on country situations - by mid-August this year.

Lord Wood of Anfield, who is a member of the Lords international relations committee, suggested that the Tory leadership contest being fought by foreign secretary Liz Truss, or the controversial Rwanda deportation policy may be behind this.

“At best, this is another example of how the business of government has ground to a halt while Liz Truss is engaged in her acrimonious contest with Rishi Sunak,” he told The Guardian .

“At worst, I suspect it is a cynical attempt by the foreign secretary to delay scrutiny over what the report says about Rwanda.”

“Either way, there is no good reason for this unprecedented delay.”

It comes after the government was forced to reveal internal advice on Rwanda’s alleged human rights abuses after attempting to keep passages secret during a High Court case over the deportation policy to the country.

Liz Truss is running in the Tory leadership contest (Clodagh Kilcoyne/PA) (PA Wire)

The UK has signed a deal to send asylum seekers that arrive across its borders to the central African country.

The first deportation flight was halted last month while asylum seekers were on the plane after a last-minute legal intervention.

The scheme has now been put on hold until the High Court rules on its legality.

The court heard last month the Foreign Office initially advised against having Rwanda as a potential partner in the deportation scheme over human rights concerns.

The reasons given included it “has been accused of recruiting refugees to conduct armed operations in neighbouring countries”, has a “poor human rights record regardless of the conventions it has signed up to” and has been criticised by the UK for extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances, torture and crackdowns on anyone critical of the regime.

Concerns have also been raised over the treatment of LGBT+ refugees. The Home Office has admitted this group could be persecuted on the basis of their sexual orientation.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson said: “We will publish the Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report in due course.”

When asked why the report was being published later than usual, they refused to comment further.