Rishi Sunak Refutes Claims of Doubting Rwanda Plan During His Tenure as Chancellor
Rishi Sunak, former Chancellor, insisted that while he scrutinized the costs of the contentious Rwanda asylum plan, he never doubted its potential effectiveness.
Documents accessed by the BBC suggested that Sunak had reservations in 2022 about the plan's scale and its deterrent effect. Despite these concerns, Sunak declared he supported the policy by allocating funds to it.
The plan, introduced under Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April 2022, aimed to send some migrants to Rwanda for processing, with the goal of deterring illegal crossings of the English Channel. Legal challenges arose, with the Supreme Court finding aspects of the policy unlawful.
Internal documents highlighted disagreements between 10 and 11 Downing Street regarding the plan's viability, suggesting Sunak was skeptical. Despite Labour's criticism, Sunak maintained his questioning of proposals as chancellor did not equate to a lack of support.
As Prime Minister, Sunak is now spearheading legislation—despite facing mixed criticism within his party—to enforce the Rwanda policy by designating Rwanda as a safe country under UK law. The bill has advanced in the House of Commons but will face further parliamentary hurdles.
When addressed about adhering to European Court of Human Rights' orders, which in the past stopped deportations to Rwanda, Sunak sidestepped a direct answer but expressed his intent not to let international rulings hinder the UK's deportation process after national due diligence. A Conservative group, however, cautioned against disregarding the European Court.
The plan, introduced under Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April 2022, aimed to send some migrants to Rwanda for processing, with the goal of deterring illegal crossings of the English Channel. Legal challenges arose, with the Supreme Court finding aspects of the policy unlawful.
Internal documents highlighted disagreements between 10 and 11 Downing Street regarding the plan's viability, suggesting Sunak was skeptical. Despite Labour's criticism, Sunak maintained his questioning of proposals as chancellor did not equate to a lack of support.
As Prime Minister, Sunak is now spearheading legislation—despite facing mixed criticism within his party—to enforce the Rwanda policy by designating Rwanda as a safe country under UK law. The bill has advanced in the House of Commons but will face further parliamentary hurdles.
When addressed about adhering to European Court of Human Rights' orders, which in the past stopped deportations to Rwanda, Sunak sidestepped a direct answer but expressed his intent not to let international rulings hinder the UK's deportation process after national due diligence. A Conservative group, however, cautioned against disregarding the European Court.
