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Nish Kumar calls Boris Johnson a ‘lawbreaker’ over suggestion UK could leave ECHR amid Rwanda deportation

First flight in government’s controversial plan to send refugees to Rwanda was halted at last minute

Isobel Lewis
Wednesday 15 June 2022 05:37 EDT
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Human rights expert explains what stopped the first Rwanda flight

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Nish Kumar has branded Boris Johnson a “lawbreaker” over his suggestion that the UK could leave the European Convention on Human Rights.

On Monday (14 June), the first flight in the government’s new plans to send migrants seeking refuge in the UK to Rwanda was scheduled to take place.

However, the flight was halted minutes before it was due to take off following interventions by the European Court of Human Rights.

Earlier in the day, Johnson had told ITV News that the UK could pull out of the ECHR in order to force through Rwanda deportations.

“Will it be necessary to change some laws to help us as we go along? It may very well be,” he said.

Resharing the clip on Twitter, Kumar commented: “Lawbreaker loves to break laws.”

Johnson was found to have broken the law after attending indoor gatherings at No 10 during lockdown. He, Rishi Sunak and his wife Carrie were among one tranche of government staff members handed fixed penalty notice fines amid the findings of the Sue Gray report.

However, the comic alongside as activists as it was announced that the flight was empty, calling the news “amazing”.

Despite Monday’s flight not going ahead, Priti Patel insisted the plan will continue, saying: “Many of those removed from this flight will be placed on the next. Our legal team are reviewing every decision made on this flight and preparation for the next flight begins now.

“We will not be deterred from doing the right thing and delivering our plans.”

This is despite widespread protests and criticism of the plan, with the archbishops of Canterbury and York describing it as “immoral” and saying that it “shames Britain”.

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