Sunak’s push for European court reform on Rwanda flights knocked back

Council of Europe summit won’t be used to reform court rules, says host nation’s minister in blow for PM

Rishi Sunak’s plan to persuade fellow leaders to change European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rules blocking Rwanda deportation flights was dealt a blow as summit leaders dismissed the idea of reform.

The prime minister is keen for the Strasbourg court – which is overseen by the 46-member Council of Europe – to change its rules to allow his government to send failed asylum seekers to the central African country.

But Iceland’s foreign minister, Thordis Gylfadottir, said that this week’s Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik would not be used to reform the rules covering the kind of orders that prevented the first deportation flight from taking off last year.