The government is working on a new treaty with Rwanda to prevent the removal of asylum seekers back to their home countries.
The policy, which has cost at least £140m and faced legal challenges, aimed to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda and ban them from returning to the UK. No asylum seekers have been sent to Rwanda yet, with the first planned flight in June 2022 being cancelled after intervention from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Sunak acknowledged that the plan might face further challenges from the ECHR and stated he would not allow a foreign court to block the flights. The Supreme Court ruled that there were substantial grounds to believe people deported to Rwanda could be sent to unsafe places.
The government faces pressure to circumvent human rights laws and international conventions, with the possibility of altering British laws that currently stand in the way of the policy. The emergency legislation could be passed more quickly than normal, with the government aiming to resume flights to Rwanda by next spring.
Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper criticized the government for not addressing the scheme's issues earlier. The Rwandan government contested the UK Supreme Court's decision, asserting Rwanda's capability to care for refugees. Charities and asylum seekers have welcomed the court's decision, urging the government to consider alternative policies and open more legal routes for asylum.