The UK Labour Party is calling on the government to make public a range of documents relating to its policy towards Rwanda, including papers that suggest former chancellor Rishi Sunak wanted to reduce the scheme. Labour’s demands come as a vote is scheduled for Tuesday, which will call on ministers to disclose the money spent on sending asylum seekers to Rwanda, including the full memorandum of understanding signed between the UK and Rwanda.
In addition, the opposition would like to see the entire transcripts of BBC reports on documents that claim Sunak resisted the Rwanda scheme. The vote would take the form of a Humble Address, which technically means that Parliament is asking the King to compel the release of the documents, making the vote binding on the government.
The Rwanda asylum seeker scheme was first unveiled by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April 2022 but has been delayed several times due to legal challenges. No asylum seekers have yet been sent to the East African country from the UK. The UK government’s Safety of Rwanda Bill is set for further parliamentary debate on Tuesday. The legislation seeks to declare Rwanda a safe country under British law and strengthen the legal basis of the scheme.
Tuesday’s vote would place the Home Office minister responsible for the Rwanda project under greater scrutiny in the House of Commons. The Labour Party hopes that some Conservative MPs will support the motion, although the government is expected to resist it, instead insisting it is transparent about the costs and progress of the project.
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