London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 16, 2025

Suella Braverman says Rwanda is safe for migrants despite evidence of 2018 killings

Suella Braverman says Rwanda is safe for migrants despite evidence of 2018 killings

Suella Braverman has insisted Rwanda is a safe country for migrants, despite evidence that 12 Congolese refugees were shot dead by police there in 2018.

When asked on BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme about the shootings, the home secretary said she was "not familiar" with the case.

The government plans to send some migrants to Rwanda if they arrive in the UK through illegal routes.

The High Court has found Rwanda to be safe, Ms Braverman said.

But she acknowledged the plans were still facing a legal challenge.

She also refused to commit to a date for achieving the government's goal of stopping small boats crossing the Channel.

And it was notable that Ms Braverman would not repeat her previously stated hope of getting legal immigration under 100,000 a year - not least because there is tension in the cabinet over what is realistic.

Under the government's proposals, people who arrive in the UK through illegal routes could be sent to Rwanda on a one-way ticket to claim asylum there.

In December the High Court ruled the plan was legal, but the decision is going through an appeals process.

Ms Braverman was asked about evidence from the United Nations refugee agency, dating from 2018, that a group of Congolese refugees were shot during protests over cuts to food rations.

After being shown a video of the aftermath, the home secretary said: "That might be 2018, we're looking at 2023 and beyond.

"The High Court, senior expert judges, have looked into the detail of our arrangement with Rwanda and found it to be a safe country and found our arrangements to be lawful."

She added that Rwanda has "a track record of successfully resettling and integrating people who are refugees or asylum seekers".

The government's legislation made provisions for individuals to challenge the decision to send them to Rwanda in "extreme circumstances" of "unforeseeable, serious and irreversible harm", she said.

The Rwandan government has said the actions of the police in 2018 were a last resort and that there was violence at the protest.

Ms Braverman (centre) pictured on a visit to Rwanda last month


Last month several papers reported that a source in the Home Office had claimed there were plans to get flights to Rwanda off the ground by the summer.

But the government has not committed to a timeframe publicly.

Ms Braverman said she believed the Rwanda policy would have "a significant deterrent effect" so that people would stop making the journey across the Channel to the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping small boat crossings one of his top priorities and he will be under pressure to show progress has been made before the next general election, which has to be held by January 2025.

The home secretary refused to commit to a date for achieving this goal.

She said she wanted to deliver on the pledge as quickly as possible but said the government could not control timeframes for the ongoing legal challenge over the Rwanda policy.

"There's a hearing later this month, we need to wait for the court to adjudicate," Ms Braverman said. "I can't control court deadlines and therefore we will respect any decision from the court but we have to abide by the timelines set by the judges."

Labour's shadow communities secretary Lisa Nandy said the Rwanda policy was "a con trick being perpetrated on the British people", as it would most likely never materialise.

She added that it had cost the taxpayer "a huge amount of money and hasn't seen a single person go to Rwanda".

The Liberal Democrats said Ms Braverman's comments showed that the Rwanda plan was "unworkable" and "on hold".


The government has recently introduced new legislation that would place a duty on the home secretary to detain and remove those arriving in the UK illegally, either to Rwanda or another "safe" third country.

People removed from the UK would be blocked from returning, or seeking British citizenship in future.

The legislation is currently making its way through Parliament but still needs to be approved by MPs and peers.

The bill is likely to face opposition in the House of Lords and it could be months before it becomes law. Even after that, it could still face legal challenges.

Last October, Ms Braverman said her "ultimate aspiration" was to get net migration - the difference between the numbers entering and leaving the UK - down into the tens of thousands.

Pressed repeatedly on whether she still wanted this to happen, she said: "I support our manifesto commitment to get overall migration numbers down, including legal migration."

She added that the large numbers coming to work and study in the UK put pressure on housing, schools and health services.

"Those are reasonable concerns and we need to make sure we're getting the balance right of encouraging our domestic workforce back into the labour market and also ensuring that we do allow those highly skilled workers, those people who will come and help various sectors in our economy to thrive," she said.

Last year, UK net migration hit a record high of 504,000.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
HSBC Accelerates Chairman Succession as Mark Tucker Prepares Departure
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Cristina Kirchner Requests House Arrest Citing Assassination Risk
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Black Box Recovered from Air India Crash Site
Sole Survivor of Air India Crash Recounts Escape
UK and EU Reach New Economic Agreement
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Two Women Found Dead in Eryri National Park
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Pentagon Initiates Review of AUKUS Nuclear Submarine Pact
Meta to Invest $15 Billion in Scale AI to Advance AGI Goals
Rare Cancer Cases Triple Among Millennials, Alarming Doctors
G7 Finance Ministers Convene in Canada with Focus on Ukraine and Trade Tariffs
UK Spending Review Prioritizes Health and Defence Amid Budget Constraints
US Raises Security Concerns Over Proposed Chinese Embassy in London
Defined Benefit Pension Reforms Expected to Unlock Limited Investment
UK Industrial Strategy Launch Delayed Amid Budget Negotiations
Crick Institute Seeks Additional Funding to Attract International Scientists
Zia Yusuf Returns to Reform UK in New Role After Brief Resignation
Bezos's Lavish Venice Wedding Sparks Local Protests
US Urges UK to Raise Defence Spending to 5% of GDP
Europe Prepares for Historic Lunar Rover Landing
Italian Parents Seek Therapy Amid Lengthy School Holidays
British Fishing Vessel Seized by France Fined €30,000
Dutch Government Collapses Amid Migration Policy Dispute
Germany Moves to Expedite Migrant Deportations
UK Commits to 3.5% GDP Defence Spending Under NATO Pressure
Scientist Returns Royal Society Prize in Protest Over Elon Musk's Fellowship
×