British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces challenges as he attempts to revive his flagship immigration policy, after the UK Supreme Court on Wednesday, the 15th of November, ruled the government’s scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda illegal. The ruling has prompted members of the Sunak’s Conservative Party to call for alternatives to deliver on the government’s immigration pledges, reports Reuters.
The concerns raised by the Supreme Court relate to the UK’s international obligations and the viability of Rwanda as a safe third country for migrants under the government’s asylum plan. The court stressed that Rwanda would need to make “significant changes” before it could be considered a safe destination. These changes include
both judicial failures and compliance with other international treaties.
Sunak said he was working on a new treaty with Rwanda that would take into account the points raised by the court, would pass an emergency law to declare Rwanda a safe country, and was “prepared to do whatever is necessary” to prevent a foreign court from blocking deportation flights, as per Reuters.
Conservative legislator Neil O’Brien said that “the Prime Minister was right to say we must do whatever is necessary”, but it is now clear that simply re-writing the treaty or a new treaty is not enough.
Britain’s new Home Secretary, James Cleverly, said the Rwanda deal would be transformed from a memorandum of understanding into a legally binding treaty and would ensure that anyone deported to Rwanda could not be sent to any country other than the UK.
According to Reuters, legal experts including Gavin Phillipson and Alan Greene
question whether the new treaty alone will address the concerns
raised by the Supreme Court and ensure the safety of asylum seekers sent to Rwanda.
Experts also say that the implementation of Rishi Sunak’s asylum plan, based on emergency legislation, is likely to be delayed in the House of Lords, putting any deportation flights on hold for a year. This is a concern as the next elections are due in January 2025 and the Labour Party, currently leading in the polls, could influence the government’s immigration strategy.
Right-wing critics argue for a swift and comprehensive bill to ensure its timely implementation, while some of the party’s moderates are pessimistic, considering the policy “dead and buried”, as per Reuters.
The Rwanda plan aims to deter asylum seekers from making the dangerous journey across the Channel in small boats to reach England.
Read also: Returning asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost 170 thousand pounds for each
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