London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Jun 01, 2025

Rwanda asylum plan: UK ministers partially lose Rwanda secrecy bid

Rwanda asylum plan: UK ministers partially lose Rwanda secrecy bid

Ministers have partially lost an attempt to keep secret a series of comments about Rwanda from an adviser.

The High Court said on Wednesday some of what the adviser had told ministers must be disclosed in a major court case over the Rwandan refugee policy.

Lawyers for the government had argued disclosing the comments would damage relations with the African country.

The adviser had warned ministers Rwanda's government tortured and killed political opponents, the court heard.

While that warning of political violence was disclosed in court on Tuesday, further comments from the expert remain secret.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) adviser had looked at revisions to the government's own report into Rwanda's human rights record.

That document was being updated as ministers planned to send asylum seekers on a flight to Rwanda under the controversial relocation scheme announced in April.

The one-way plan, worth at least £120m to Rwanda, aims to discourage illegal crossings of the English Channel - but it is on ice until the High Court rules whether it is legal.

In court, the government said 10 further comments from the unnamed official should be kept confidential rather than be used as evidence in that forthcoming court case.

This meant they would not be disclosed to the group of migrants and charities who were challenging the flights policy.

But in his ruling Lord Justice Lewis said six of the official's comments, or parts of them, should feature in next month's legal battle.

He ruled four should remain entirely secret because of the damage they would do to international relations.

"I accept that disclosure of the 10 extracts would give rise to a real risk of causing serious harm to the United Kingdom's international relations, particularly with Rwanda," he said.

"I recognise that the government... regards a policy whereby those seeking asylum have their claims determined in Rwanda as a significant means of deterring people from seeking to cross the English Channel in boats or by other means.

"Disclosing the material in issue in this case would undermine the development and implementation of that policy."


'Evidential significance'


However the judge said given September's major legal action had to decide whether sending asylum seekers to Rwanda was lawful, the claimants and the court needed to consider as much evidence as possible.

He said some of the official's comments would have "evidential significance" - and the public interest in disclosing them outweighed the government's case for keeping them secret.

Lord Justice Lewis said: "I recognise that there is a strong public interest in not undermining international relations with a friendly state. Nonetheless, that consideration is outweighed by the public interest in ensuring access to relevant information in this litigation and by the extent to which the information is already in the public domain."

The official's precise words are not yet in public. The government has been allowed time to consider an appeal. If the judgment stands, the comments are likely to emerge in public in September.

Migrants identified for the first aborted flight, and three media organisations - BBC News, including BBC Two's Newsnight, the Times and the Guardian newspapers - sought the disclosure of the material.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
×