MP’s are expected to return to the Commons today to resume voting on the government’s Rwanda bill aimed at discouraging small boat crossings as reports reveal the UK is considering similar plans with other countries including Armenia, Costa Rica and Ivory Coast. The scheme has faced numerous challenges since its announcement in April 2022. However, legislation to establish Rwanda as a safe country is expected to pass this week despite opposition from Labour which plans to scrap it if elected. Charities supporting asylum seekers are also planning to launch a legal challenge against deporting people if the bill becomes law this week.
The British government had introduced the scheme to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda earlier in April 2022, but it was deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court who ruled sending genuine refugees to Rwanda would put them at risk of harm. The legislation, now under deliberation by lawmakers, aims to protect the scheme from further setbacks. The government believes that the bill will result in the first set of removals to Rwanda within weeks.
UK ministers previously believed the scheme will deter people from crossing the English Channel in small boats. However, several African countries including Morocco, Tunisia, Namibia and Gambia have “explicitly declined” to enter into technical discussions concerning similar schemes. Meanwhile, the Rwandan scheme aims to remove impediments faced by the UK government in relation to prosecuting people smugglers.
Labour opposes the scheme and plans to scrap it if voted into power. The party believes that targeting criminal gangs and negotiating new security arrangements with Europe should be the priority instead. However, the government considers the scheme necessary as the numbers of small boat people has increased due to the ongoing rise in illegal immigration
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More