Starmer announced the cancellation of the scheme introduced by the Conservative Party in his first news conference on Saturday, July 6, 2024.
The prime minister argued that the former administration's strategy to deter illegal migrants from arriving in the UK via small boats across the English Channel was 'dead and buried before it started'.
'It's never acted as a deterrent. Almost the opposite,' Starmer stated after holding his first Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing St.
The Labour Party leader had pledged to scrap the Rwanda plan if they won the July 4 general election, and on Friday, the party secured a landslide victory, winning over 400 seats. The poll victory ended 14 years of Conservative rule.
Starmer's predecessor, Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party, had earlier announced that the first flights would depart to Rwanda after the polls.
Sunak's plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda received a green light in April after Parliament voted to pass the contentious bill declaring the country safe.
The Lords had earlier refused to pass the bill without further amendments, including the inclusion of a provision exempting agents, allies, and employees of the UK overseas, including Afghans who fought alongside the British Armed Forces, from being removed to Rwanda.
The Lords also demanded tighter checks on the safety of Rwanda for asylum seekers to ensure the scheme had "due regard" for domestic and international law.
Despite the passing of the legislation, nobody was sent to Rwanda. Two failed asylum seekers were, however, reported to have been moved to Rwanda voluntarily under a separate agreement that saw them offered a £3,000 incentive.
The Rwanda scheme was first announced in April 2022 by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government following a deal with Rwandan authorities.
The bill was introduced to Parliament after the UK Supreme Court ruled that the government's scheme was unlawful. The judges argued that genuine refugees being removed to Rwanda faced the risk of being returned to their home countries, where they could face harm. The Rwandan authorities denied the claims.
Sunak's administration planned to offer failed asylum seekers up to £3,000 (RWF 4,866,727) to move to Rwanda under the voluntary scheme.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/news/article/new-uk-prime-minister-starmer-cancels-rwanda-migration-scheme
