The U.K.’s new home secretary criticized a failed proposal by ex-British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to relocate migrants to Rwanda, calling it a “shocking waste of taxpayer money” totalling 700 million pounds ($904 million).
Upon assuming office this month, Keir Starmer, the successor to Sunak, swiftly put an end to the controversial plan.
Sunak’s initiative to halt the influx of asylum-seekers crossing the English Channel from France, known as “stopping the boats,” faced legal challenges and drew criticism from various human rights groups.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, highlighted that the costs of the unsuccessful plan included 290 million pounds in payments to Rwanda, as well as expenses for chartering flights that never departed, detaining and then releasing hundreds of individuals, and funding over a thousand civil servants to carry out the initiative.
She also revealed to lawmakers that the prior government had planned to use over 10 billion pounds of taxpayers’ money for the project, without informing Parliament.
The government of Rwanda affirmed that it had no responsibility to reimburse the funds at the centre of the controversy.
The home secretary highlighted the ongoing issue of risky small boat crossings, expected to continue during the summer months.
She emphasized the need for more action against people-smuggling but did not provide specific details.
Official data revealed that close to 1,500 migrants arrived in the U.K. via small boats across the English Channel in just one week.
Tragically, two individuals lost their lives during rescue operations off the northern French coast.
Sunak’s strategy aimed to tackle the increasing number of migrants globally, peaking at 46,000 in 2022, who make the perilous journey across the English Channel.
The government argued that these migrants should not be considered genuine refugees as they did not seek asylum in the first safe country they reached.
In 2022, the U.K. reached an agreement with Rwanda to transfer migrants who arrive as stowaways or by boat to the East African nation for asylum processing.
However, critics, including human rights groups, deemed the plan impractical and unethical, especially due to the distance involved.
Despite legal challenges in U.K. courts, no deportation flights to Rwanda were carried out.
Only four individuals voluntarily relocated to Rwanda, as confirmed by Cooper.
The Supreme Court of Britain ruled the policy unlawful in November, stating that Rwanda is not a safe third country for migrant transfers.
The justices unanimously agreed that sending claimants to Rwanda could expose them to the risk of ill-treatment, potentially leading to deportation to their home countries.
