The government is ready to “go straight ahead” sending Channel migrants to Rwanda as soon as it wins the legal battle over the plan, a senior minister said today.
Oliver Dowden insisted the plan to send thousands of boat arrivals to Africa was legal and would be cleared by the Court of Appeal.
He spoke after Interior Minister Suella Braverman hinted that the first flights to Kigali could take off this summer if the court confirms the legality of the Rwandan program in the coming weeks.
Hearings are due to take place in April and a decision should follow soon after.
Mr Dowden, the Cabinet Minister, told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: ‘The reason we have not been able to pursue Rwanda is that it is currently in court. In fact, we succeeded at the High Court stage, that is to say before the Court of Appeal.
“But as soon as this process is complete – and I am confident that our policy is legal – we will immediately jump into Rwandan politics and use it as a tool in our arsenal.”
Asked about the prospect of children being covered by the new immigration scheme, Mr Dowden said: ‘I don’t like any of this and I really wish we didn’t have to, and the government doesn’t show up to do it.. The government is doing this because it’s a major problem.
Oliver Dowden insisted the plan to send thousands of boat arrivals to Africa was legal and would be cleared by the Court of Appeal.
The Home Secretary has pledged to act quickly to deport migrants who arrive in Britain illegally if the Court of Appeal upholds the legality of the Rwandan scheme in the coming weeks
Visiting new accommodation being built for migrants outside the Rwandan capital, Kigali, Ms Braverman said yesterday: ‘It is entirely possible that we can act quickly if we get a good line of judgment in our favour.”
His defiant stance follows the row over Gary Lineker comparing government language on the Channel small-boat crisis to that of 1930s Germany.
The Match Of The Day presenter returned to BBC screens yesterday after winning a power battle with the Corporation.
Visiting new accommodation being built for migrants outside the Rwandan capital, Kigali, Ms Braverman said yesterday: ‘It is entirely possible that we can act quickly if we get a good line of judgment in our favour.”
It raises the prospect of removal flights from the summer – even if the Home Office faces another appeal to the Supreme Court. Officials previously said all domestic legal remedies would have to be concluded before flights could take off.
The scheme, which was announced last April, is seen in No 10 as key to bolstering the Tories’ ‘Red Wall’ seats, previously held by Labour, in the next election.
It allows migrants to be given a one-way ticket to the East African nation and was complemented by the Illegal Migration Bill, released earlier this month, which circumvents provisions on human rights giving migrants the right to seek asylum.
The initial terms of the agreement only covered those seeking asylum. But under a new agreement signed by Ms Braverman yesterday, anyone who arrives in the UK illegally will be deported to Rwanda whether they seek asylum or not.
Migrants who file “modern slavery” claims will now be covered by the scheme.
“There will be no way out,” a government source said. “We are sealing all loopholes.” They added that the country was “biting the brakes” and “on hot coals” to get the program off the ground.
Yolande Makolo, spokeswoman for the Rwandan government, said: “We are ready to absorb the thousands of people who will come from the United Kingdom during this partnership”.
A maiden flight to Kigali was blocked at the 11th hour by judges in Strasbourg last summer, but Britain’s High Court ruled the policy legal in December.
The Match Of The Day presenter returned to BBC screens yesterday after winning a power battle with the Corporation
The Home Secretary said she was awaiting the outcome of a further challenge in the Court of Appeal, but added: ‘Flights could take off – we are working to get that to happen as soon as possible.’
The interior minister praised the “high quality” two- and three-bedroom homes and said they showed Rwanda was “clearly ready” to fulfill its part of the deal.
The Home Secretary said she was awaiting the outcome of a further challenge in the Court of Appeal, but added: ‘Flights could take off – we are working to get that to happen as soon as possible.’
“What we have seen is that our legal process is marred by false allegations of modern slavery, delaying tactics or asylum claims, and this bill seeks to resolve all of that so that the power of suppression be done much faster.”
The Rwandan government has already trained its immigration officers to process asylum claims from migrants reportedly deported from the UK.
Ms Braverman denied that the deal makes Britain less likely to challenge Rwanda on diplomatic issues such as tensions with neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. “We have a close and frank relationship and if there are any concerns ministers will raise them privately,” she said.
During her visit, Ms Braverman toured new “eco-friendly” homes with solar panels and fiber optic broadband that are expected to be occupied by migrants sent to Rwanda.
Development outside Kigali is partly funded by British taxpayers under the deal.
The interior minister praised the “high quality” two- and three-bedroom homes and said they showed Rwanda was “clearly ready” to fulfill its part of the deal.
The developers of the Riverside Estates project are “in discussion” with the Rwandan government to provide part of the 2,500 homes. An undisclosed part of the £120million Home Office deal was spent on initial costs to the Rwandan government.
Suella Braverman today visited buildings in Rwanda where cross-Channel boat migrants could be held under her controversial deportation scheme
Home Secretary Suella Braverman meets with graduate builders in Kigali, Rwanda who will help build homes that can accommodate migrants deported from the UK
Other houses on the 70-acre estate are available for Rwandans to buy, with prices starting at £14,000 for a two-bedroom house.
In one of the houses, sitting on a beige velvet sofa with pink floral throw pillows, Ms Braverman said: ‘These houses are really beautiful, high quality, really welcoming and I love your interior designer. I need advice for me.
In one of the houses, sitting on a beige velvet sofa with pink floral throw pillows, Ms Braverman said: ‘These houses are really beautiful, high quality, really welcoming and I love your interior designer. I need advice for me.
Other houses on the 70-acre estate are available for Rwandans to buy, with prices starting at £14,000 for a two-bedroom house.
Each property – which is built from scratch in two weeks by a team of ten builders – has a front and rear garden, many with views of the rolling landscape, as well as off-street parking.
The project will eventually house 15,000 people.
