Rwanda appeal ruling – live: Braverman says ‘it’s not over yet’ as she doubles down on ‘unlawful’ asylum deal
Court of Appeal judges concluded that the African nation is not a safe country to receive refugees
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Your support makes all the difference.Home secretary Suella Braverman has insisted “it’s not over yet” as she doubled down on her Rwanda asylum plan, after it was ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal.
The plan to forcibly deport small boat migrants to the African nation was blocked on Thursday, with judges concluding it is not a safe country to receive asylum seekers from the UK.
The Court of Appeal had granted an appeal by asylum seekers selected for deportation after the High Court ruled in December that the plan was lawful. Following Thursday’s judgement, Rishi Sunak said he “fundamentally disagreed” and would appeal to the Supreme Court.
That process will take several more months and threatens the passage of the new Illegal Migration Bill, which aims to see small boat migrants detained and deported without asylum claims being considered.
Addressing the Commons, Ms Braverman insisted “the British people will no longer indulge the polite fiction that we have a duty or infinite capacity to support everyone in the world who is fleeing persecution”, adding: “It is unfair on those who play by the rules and who want to see an asylum system that is fit for purpose.”
Rwanda deal ‘impractical’ and ‘destructive’, says charity
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) UK also renewed calls for the Government to end plans to send migrants to Rwanda in the wake of the court ruling.
Sarah Teather, JRS UK’s director, said: “Plans to forcibly send men, women and children seeking sanctuary here to Rwanda are inhuman. They are also completely impractical. They are destructive, and mean slamming the door shut on refugees, denying our duty to offer refugees sanctuary.
“We welcome this judgment as we continue to resist this cruel policy in solidarity with refugees.”
Downing Street to ‘look carefully’ at issues in Court of Appeal ruling
Downing Street said the Government would “look carefully” at the issues raised in the Court of Appeal judgment.
Asked whether the Rwanda policy could be toughened up to provide further “assurances” that migrants flown to the country would not be sent back home, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Yes, so obviously this is a very detailed judgment and the Lord Chief Justice dissents with other judges.
“We need to go through that carefully and consider what if anything if is appropriate in our approach. Obviously some of these issues we’d want to put before the Supreme Court should we be given permission to do that. I’m not going to pre-empt that.”
Government ‘remain committed’ to Rwanda policy
Downing Street said it will “remain committed” to its Rwanda policy and still believes it is the “right approach” despite the Court of Appeal ruling.
Asked whether Rishi Sunak had yet spoken to Rwandan president Paul Kagame about the decision, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Obviously the judgment’s only just come in. They have spoken before.
“We remain committed to the Rwandan migration partnership. We remain of the view that it is the right approach.”
Suella Braverman ‘determined’ to stop small boats and will seek permission to appeal ruling
In a statement, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “The British people want to stop the boats, and so does this Government.
“That’s what I am determined to deliver and I won’t take a backward step from that. We need innovative solutions to smash the business model of the people smuggling gangs, which is why we formed this partnership with Rwanda.
“The Court of Appeal have been clear that the policy of relocating asylum seekers to a safe third country for the processing of their claims is in line with the Refugee Convention.
“While we are disappointed with their ruling in relation to Rwanda’s asylum system, I will be seeking permission to appeal this.
“I remain fully committed to this policy as does the Rwandan government.”
Downing Street ‘can’t put a timetable’ on deportations
Downing Street refused to say whether it still believes any migrants will be sent to Rwanda before the next election.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said he “can’t put a timetable on that” amid the long-running legal battle.
“I can’t put a timetable on that I’m afraid. As I’ve said we are seeking leave to appeal so in effect we are still proceeding with a legal process,” he said.
‘Government well aware of crucial deficiencies in Rwanda’s asylum system’, says lawyers
Duncan Lewis Solicitors, which represented seven of the asylum seekers who were due to be on the first flight to Rwanda in June last year, said: “Government officials were well aware of the crucial deficiencies in Rwanda’s asylum system from the inception of this policy.
“The Secretary of State glossed over and failed to properly examine the adequacy of Rwanda’s asylum system. The Secretary of State for the Home Department is not above the law, and today the Court of Appeal has today ruled that these material deficiencies in Rwanda’s asylum system render removals unlawful.”
‘Jesus Christ returning as Tory leader’ couldn’t win election, says ex-No 10 adviser
Even the returning Messiah could not win the next general election for Conservative party, according to a former No 10 adviser.
“If Jesus Christ returned to earth today and put the theology aside and becomes leader of the Conservative party – the Conservative party is doomed at the next election,” said Tory pundit Tim Montgomerie.
He told BBC Politics Live that there’s now nothing the Tories an do to turn its “fortunes around” – but will continue to “play the card” of promising to stop the boats.
Partnership with France over Channel crossings has seen ‘a big improvement’, says official
Downing Street said increased partnership with French authorities over Channel crossings has resulted in “a big improvement” despite figures suggesting nearly 11,000 people have made the journey this year.
“The numbers are still down on where they were in previous years,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.
Just over 11,800 people had made the crossing by June 22 last year.
Asked whether the ruling would thwart Rishi Sunak’s plan to stop the boats, the official said: “Clearly we now need to seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. I don’t know the exact time that will take. I think the judges today made clear they would want that to be promptly, as would we. But this is an important element but it is one element of our work.”
Rwandan government says it ‘takes issue’ with ruling and remains committed to deal
Yolande Makolo, a spokesperson for the government of Rwanda, defended the country’s record accepting people fleeing conflict in neighbouring countries, and recovering from its horrific genocide.
“While this is ultimately a decision for the UK’s judicial system, we do take issue with the ruling that Rwanda is not a safe country for asylum seekers and refugees,” she said.
“Rwanda remains fully committed to making this partnership work. The broken global migration system is failing to protect the vulnerable, and empowering criminal smuggling gangs at an immeasurable human cost. When the migrants do arrive, we will welcome them and provide them with the support they’ll need to build new lives in Rwanda”.
Now the Court of Appeal has ruled it unlawful, what happens next with the Rwanda deal?
Although the government lost the latest stage of the long-running legal battle over the Rwanda deal, it is not the end of the case.
Suella Braverman is appealing the Court of Appeal’s ruling to the Supreme Court, which will have the final say - and flights remain on hold in the meantime.
The prime minister announced the move two hours after the damning judgment, saying he respected the Court of Appeal but “fundamentally disagreed with their conclusions”.
“I strongly believe the Rwanda government have provided the assurances necessary to ensure there is no real risk that asylum seekers relocated under the policy would be wrongly returned to third countries,” Rishi Sunak added.
“Rwanda is a safe country … we will now seek permission to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.”
The process could take several months and throws the new Illegal Migration Bill into doubt, because new powers to detain and deport all small boat migrants depended on the Rwanda deal working. No other agreements to receive asylum seekers are in place.
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