Former British army chief dramatically intervenes in government’s Rwanda policy

Exclusive: Lord Dannatt urged the home secretary not to send migrants to a country ‘under the shadow of genocide’

The former head of the British army has attacked the government’s plan to send migrants who arrived on small boats to Rwanda – saying the country is still living under the “shadow of genocide”.

General Sir Richard Dannatt warned of Rwanda’s “dark history” and told The Independent it is not the kind of country to which people fleeing conflicts should be sent.

In an extraordinary intervention, the former army chief also accused home secretary Suella Braverman of “continuing to run down the remaining political capital” of Rishi Sunak’s administration with the “unpopular” policy.