UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has responded to allegations suggesting that he had second thoughts regarding the government’s Rwanda policy, which involved the potential processing and resettlement of certain migrants in Africa. Reports claim that Sunak had questioned the cost and effectiveness of the scheme, expressing doubts that it would strongly deter boat crossings of the English Channel. However, he dismissed these allegations in an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, claiming he had probed all policies as Chancellor and therefore had no qualms over the plan’s principles. He stressed that although he had raised tough questions, it didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t a supporter of the proposal, citing that he had funded it.
Introduced by Boris Johnson when he was PM in April 2022, the program has faced legal challenges, and the Supreme Court ruled it illegal last year. No 10 documents reveal the discrepancies between the Prime Minister’s and Chancellor’s offices regarding the proposed campaign’s effectiveness. Statements indicate that Johnson’s team argued in favor of the policy, while Sunak’s team believed the deterrent wouldn’t work. Nonetheless, Sunak maintained that he had backed the plan, and his funding of the initiative amply demonstrated that.
Reacting to the BBC’s revelations, Labour’s Yvette Cooper has labelled the Rwandan strategy a ‘total con’ and has criticized Sunak’s handling of the situation. However, the Chancellor maintains that he has asked questions of every proposal and rejected claims that he doesn’t believe in the principal of deterrence. With opponents claiming the plan to be illegal and unlikely to succeed, the Rwandan policy is likely to face challenges in the legislative process. Although the bill initially passed through the House of Commons comfortably, Sunak may face an uphill task navigating it through Parliament when lawmakers reconvene
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More