The UK government’s asylum seekers deportation scheme will not send anyone to Rwanda prior to the upcoming election, according to Rishi Sunak. Until now, there had been speculations that ministers would attempt to arrange the initial flight before polling day as a demonstration of their flagship policy on counteracting unlawful migration. However, the Prime Minister has now stated that they will be sent to Rwanda only “if I’m re-elected” on July 4th. If Labour wins power, it has vowed to abolish the initiative, raising the question of whether anyone will ever be sent under the scheme.
The ambitious programme, which has already cost £240m, has been subjected to several legal challenges and was unveiled over two years ago by the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. Nonetheless, delivering it has been a critical priority of Mr Sunak’s premiership, as he frequently proposes that it is essential to his vow for “stopping the boats”. The implementation of the plan will be the main dividing line between both primary parties throughout the six-week election campaign.
In a sign that he now intends to offer voters a plan that is crucial to the policy, he stated that flights will be scheduled for “July,” which means they will be deported after the election. In response to an interview question on BBC Radio 4, he stated, “Yes,” before adding, “the choice here is clear.” “If you believe that preventing the boats is essential and if you think like I do that it necessitates a deterrent to accomplish that[…], then I’m the only one who can make it happen” he added.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have dismissed the Prime Minister’s statement as an “utter humiliation and an admission of defeat”. They claimed that the Rwanda policy has been an immoral and costly fiasco since its inception. Alistair Carmichael, home affairs spokesperson, went on to add, ” The Rwanda scheme has been an immoral and expensive disaster from day one.
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