Rwanda Supreme Court ruling LIVE: Cleverly says plan B ‘is ready’ as Sunak unveils effort to save scheme
Prime Minister vows to stop ‘foreign courts’ blocking flights amid pledges to get planes in air by spring
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox
Get our free View from Westminster email
James Cleverly has revealed the government’s plan B is “ready”, as a rattled Rishi Sunak has unveiled a last-ditch effort to save his flagship illegal migration policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
After the Supreme Court ruled the policy is unlawful, the home secretary told Sky News the government’s backup plan to get the Rwanda scheme off the ground is “pretty much ready”.
Meanwhile, the prime minister said he would introduce emergency legislation to stop “foreign courts”, such as the European Court of Human Rights, from blocking flights to Kigali as he vowed to get planes in the air by spring next year.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, he said ministers would draw up a new treaty with Rwanda and make changes to domestic law to “remove the obstacles in our way” and address the Supreme Court’s concerns that the east African country is not safe for asylum seekers.
It comes as Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Sunak should apologise to the country for blowing £140m on the failed scheme. “He has wasted all of his time on a gimmick and now he is absolutely nowhere,” the Labour leader said.
Well done for bringing down inflation, Rishi – now for the hard bit
As the inflation rate shrinks by half, the PM has made good on one of his ‘five priorities’ for the year. Yes, he got lucky, writes James Moore, but he deserves some credit, too
Read James’s full piece here:
Well done for bringing down inflation, Rishi – now for the hard bit
As the inflation rate shrinks by half, the PM has made good on one of his ‘five priorities’ for the year. Yes, he got lucky, writes James Moore, but he deserves some credit, too
Sunak: I’ll introduce emergency legislation to revive Rwanda plan
Rishi Sunak has said he will introduce emergency legislation to revive his Rwanda plan.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the prime minister said he did not agree with the Supreme Court decision but that he “respected it” and “accepted it”.
He said he will introduce “emergency legislation” to deem Rwanda a safe country and prevent the “merry-go-round” of legal challenges.
Sunak: Rwanda flights will start in spring next year
Rishi Sunak has said flights will take off for Rwanda in the spring next year after the government makes changes to the plan.
Taking questions from reporters, he said ministers will draw up a new treaty with Rwanda and make changes to domestic law to address the Supreme Court’s concerns that the east Africa country is not safe for asylum seekers.
“That will clear the remaining barriers to us getting flights off, as planned, in the spring of next year”.
Sunak dodges question on whether deputy chair should be sacked
Rishi Sunak dodged a question on whether he would sack Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson.
Earlier, Anderson urged the PM to “ignore” the Supreme Court’s ruling and get planes to Rwanda in the air as soon as possible.
Sunak said Anderson’s comments reflect the “strength of feeling” on the issue that he shared his colleagues’ frustrations.
Sunak: We’ve done more than any recent government on illegal migration
When asked if he is presiding over a “shambles” after today’s Supreme Court ruling, Rishi Sunak said his government has done more to tackle illegal migration and Channel crossings than any other “in years”.
He added: “We are delivering. We are making strong progress. But in order to get the job done, we need the Rwanda deterrent to work and that is why we have been preparing thoroughly and carefully for all outcomes today.”
Mr Sunak later added the government will “clear the remaining barriers” to getting “flights off the ground”.
Plan to push ahead with Rwanda shows ‘callous disregard’ of refugees
Rishi Sunak’s intention to press ahead with the Rwanda plan shows his “callous disregard” of asylum seekers, the head of the Refugee Council has said.
Enver Solomon, CEO of Refugee Council, said: “The prime minister’s determination to push ahead with shipping men, women and children off to Rwanda, after they have fled war, terror and persecution in countries such as Afghanistan and Sudan, shows a callous disregard for those who through no fault of their own have lost everything and have come to the UK in search of safety.
“It will have devastating consequences for the wellbeing of those we work with at the Refugee Council, who are already highly distressed, anxious, and traumatised, and we fear many people will disappear, facing the risk of abuse and exploitation.
“The government’s approach goes against the values of compassion, fairness and humanity which as a country we have always sought to stand up for. It should be focusing on creating a functioning asylum system that allows for a fair hearing on UK soil and provides safe routes so people don’t have to take dangerous journeys.”
Watch: Sunak says flights will start in spring next year
Patel: Plan could have been implemented in a way that complied with our obligations
In a statement, former home secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “I am confident that the plans could have been implemented in (a) way that complied with our own domestic law and our international obligations, and the Supreme Court confirmed that changes could be made to bring it into effect.
“The Home Office must now take the necessary steps to ensure that this policy is implemented as our partnership with Rwanda is the single biggest measure to deter illegal migration into the UK.”
Court relied on ‘extreme’ and ‘speculative concerns’ about human rights - Rwanda
The Supreme Court’s ruling that Rwanda is unsafe for asylum seekers relied on “extreme and speculative concerns” about it human rights record, Rwanda has claimed.
Responding to the ruling, Yolande Makolo, a Rwandan government spokesperson, said: "While this was ultimately a decision for the UK’s judicial system, we take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe country for asylum seekers and refugees.
“Given Rwanda’s welcoming policy and our record for caring for refugees, the political judgements made today were unjustified.
"The examples raised in court to support the ruling were insensitive to violations of international humanitarian law ongoing in many parts of the world. The court relied on extreme and speculative concerns based on the hypocritical criticisms of the UNHCR, which has on numerous occasions expressed its appreciation of Rwanda’s inclusive refugee policies, qualifying them as ‘exemplary’.
“For example, their claim of "100% rejection rate" of asylum seekers from some parts of the world is dishonest - a total of two individuals from Syria and Yemen were indeed not considered for asylum because there was a faster and more appropriate path to legal residence, and these individuals are currently living and working in Rwanda.
"Also, an earlier agreement with Israel to receive migrants was ended by Rwanda after it was deemed unworkable.
"Rwanda will now focus on working with the UK on a binding treaty to re-emphasize already existing guarantees requiring for the partnership to succeed."
Sunak ‘chasing more headlines’ with press conference - Cooper
Labour’s Yvette Cooper accused Rishi Sunak of “making more promises and chasing more headlines”, after his press conference.
The shadow home secretary said: “Rishi Sunak just keeps making more promises and chasing more headlines on boats, without ever delivering on the commitments he’s made already.
“Conservative ministers knew what the problems were with the Rwanda scheme 18 months ago – if they thought this was the answer, why didn’t they do it long ago?
“Suella Braverman, who was in charge of immigration policy just two days ago, said that losing in the Supreme Court would leave the Government with no credible ‘plan B’. Today’s announcement appears to back that up.
“Instead of getting on with the hard work needed and backing Labour’s plan to smash the criminal smuggling gangs, clear the asylum backlog and speed up removals, the Prime Minister is spending even more time and money on this failing scheme.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies