Comment: The British government is eroding the rule of law

The British government’s Rwanda plan is expensive and ignores court rulings and international agreements. In order to push through the plan, Prime Minister Sunak is undermining the rule of law

The United Kingdom is now rushing forward with a plan that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calls a “game changer” – the solution to a successful asylum policy. The thought may quickly come to mind: Would this Rwanda plan perhaps also be a good idea for Germany?

The British government would have to take on two things. Principles shouldn’t count for anything. And money shouldn’t play a role.

Overruled courts

The High Court in Britain has declared that Rwanda is not a safe country for refugees. People are fleeing from there, including to the United Kingdom. Those seeking protection should therefore not be brought to the African country. Going through with the plan will only work if you simply claim by law that Rwanda is safe, as the Tories are doing now. Simply claim that the sun is shining, even if it’s pouring rain.

But what if national courts straighten things out? A touch more unscrupulousness is required here: The British government is therefore undermining its constitutional state and largely banning the possibility of appeal. That keeps the judges out.

Loss of reputation Sunak doesn’t care

For the Rwanda plan, however, compliance with the law should not be taken so seriously. There are also international agreements to which the British are committed – human rights conventions, for example. Associations, the church, experts and reports warn that the Rwanda plan would be a break with this. The Sunak government knows that its asylum policy will damage its international reputation. She does not care.

The Rwanda plan has already cost more than half a billion. Of all the ideas, it is the most expensive. Each refugee who might be accommodated in Rwanda costs the British an estimated 200,000 euros – per person.

Pure populism

The British government needs flights to Rwanda – as a symbol that it has a plan that is visible to everyone. Any means is right.

This is pure populism. The plan costs a lot of money and reputation. And it only works if you betray fundamental principles that don’t solve anything politically. So nothing that serves as a role model.