UK, June 5, 2024
The British government has, however, repeated its stand that it will not deport Rwandan flights to remove the asylum seekers, saying it wants to wait for the July 4 general elections. Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has said that if they are to be elected, the first flight to Rwanda would be in the last week of July.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson initiated the Rwanda policy. It seeks to dissuade asylum seekers from risking their lives crossing the English Channel into the UK in small boats by deporting them to Rwanda. However, the plan has been associated with several legal complications and resistance from many quarters.
In the current court papers, the government has disclosed that the earliest time the flights could start is on July 24th. It follows after the Home Office had stated that deportations would commence during the last week of June.
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It is mainly because of the extended period that is attributed to the election call, which has raised questions on the status of the policy. The current main opposition party, Labour, says that if it gains power, it will do away with the Rwanda plan.
Sunak has turned the Rwanda scheme into one of the cornerstones of his campaign, claiming he needs to curb illegal immigration. However, the opponents have described the plan as a “gimmick” and an ‘‘expensive disaster”.
The government has already invested £240M in this policy, and the preparations are underway, for example, hiring hundreds of caseworkers and obtaining escorts. The flights will take off if Sunak is re-elected, but their destiny is unpredictable if the election results go differently.
