The British Supreme Court has confirmed that government plans for asylum procedures in Rwanda are unlawful. The judges unanimously rejected a corresponding request from the London government. The ruling is seen as a setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The Supreme Court also confirmed the decision of an appeals court from June.
The British government signed an agreement with Rwanda last year that would allow Britain to deport asylum seekers, regardless of their status, to the East African country so that they can apply for asylum there. However, the majority of the appeal court ruled that Rwanda could not be treated as a safe third country.
Sunak announced a new deal with Rwanda after the ruling. His government had already been working on the agreement before the Supreme Court’s decision. “We have taken note of today’s ruling and will now consider further steps,” he said. “This was not the outcome we were hoping for, but we have spent the last few months planning for every eventuality.”
Prime Minister wants to review legislation
In Parliament, the Prime Minister announced that he would review Britain’s international obligations and domestic legislation in light of the decision. According to commentators, this could also affect British membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The ruling is a setback for the conservative government. With the Rwanda plan, she wanted to deter migrants from entering the country irregularly in small boats across the English Channel.
Sunak stressed that he was absolutely adamant that the boats had to be stopped. “Illegal migration destroys lives and costs British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. We must stop it and we will do whatever it takes to stop it,” said the Prime Minister’s statement.