The government is ready to “start work immediately” on sending migrants from the English Channel to Rwanda as soon as it wins the legal battle over the plan, a senior minister said today.
Oliver Dowden insisted that the plan to send thousands of ships to Africa was legal and would be approved by the Court of Appeal.
He spoke after Interior Minister Suella Braverman suggested that the first flights to Kigali could take off in the summer if the court confirms the legality of the Rwandan program in the coming weeks.
Hearings will take place in April and the ruling will be issued shortly thereafter.
Mr Dowden, the Cabinet Office Minister, told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “The reason we have not been able to proceed with Rwanda is because it is currently before the courts.” In fact, we were successful at the High Court stage, that is before the Court of Appeal.
“But as soon as that process is over, and I’m sure our policy is legal, we’ll get down to business with the Rwanda policy and use it as a tool in our arsenal.”
Asked about the possibility of children being covered by the new immigration regime, Mr Dowden said: “I don’t like any of this and I really wish we didn’t have to, and the Government is not rushing to do this”. . The government is doing this because it is a major problem.’
Oliver Dowden insisted that the plan to send thousands of ships to Africa was legal and would be approved by the Court of Appeal.
The Home Secretary vowed to act quickly to remove migrants coming to Britain illegally if the Court of Appeal confirms the legality of Rwanda’s program in the coming weeks.
Touring the new accommodation being built for migrants outside the Rwandan capital Kigali, Ms Braverman said yesterday: “There is a very good chance that we can move quickly if we get a good line of judgment in our favour.”
His defiant stance comes in the wake of the dispute over Gary Lineker comparing government language on the small boat crisis in the Channel to that of Germany in the 1930s.
Yesterday the Match Of The Day presenter returned to the BBC screens after winning a power battle with the Corporation.
Touring the new accommodation being built for migrants outside the Rwandan capital Kigali, Ms Braverman said yesterday: “There is a very good chance that we can move quickly if we get a good line of judgment in our favour.”
It raises the possibility of removal flights starting in the summer, even if the Home Office faces another appeal in the High Court. Officials had previously indicated that all domestic legal appeals would have to be concluded before the flights could take off.
The plan, which was announced last April, is seen as key at No. No 10 to shore up the Conservatives’ ‘Red Wall’ seats, previously held by Labour, in the upcoming election.
It allows migrants to receive a one-way ticket to the East African nation and has been complemented by the Illegal Migration Bill, published earlier this month, which circumvents human rights provisions that give migrants the right to apply for asylum
The original terms of the agreement covered only those who applied for asylum. But under a new agreement signed yesterday by Ms Braverman, anyone arriving in the UK illegally will face removal to Rwanda, whether or not they claim asylum.
Migrants making ‘modern slavery’ claims will now be covered by the scheme.
“There will be no way out,” said a government source. We are sealing all the loopholes. They added that the country was ‘dead by nails’ and ‘on tenterhooks’ to get going on the plan.
Yolande Makolo, a spokeswoman for the Rwandan government, said: “We are ready to absorb the thousands that will come from the UK during this partnership.”
An inaugural flight to Kigali was blocked at the last minute by judges in Strasbourg last summer, but the UK High Court ruled the policy was legal in December.
Yesterday the Match Of The Day presenter returned to the BBC screens 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 make this happen as soon as possible.”
The interior minister praised the two- and three-bedroom houses of “high quality” and said they showed Rwanda was “clearly ready” to deliver on its part of the bargain.
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 make this happen as soon as possible.”
“What we have seen is our legal process being complicated by false claims of modern slavery, delaying tactics or asylum claims, and this bill aims to fix all of that so that power of deportation happens much more quickly.”
It is understood that the Rwandan government has already trained its immigration officers to handle asylum applications from migrants removed from the UK.
Braverman denied that the deal made it less likely for Britain to challenge Rwanda on diplomatic issues such as tensions with the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. “We have a close and frank relationship and if there are concerns, the ministers will raise them in private,” he said.
During her visit, Ms. Braverman toured new ‘eco’ houses with solar panels and fiber optic broadband that will be occupied by migrants sent to Rwanda.
Development outside of Kigali is being partly funded by British taxpayers under the deal.
The Home Secretary praised the “high quality” two- and three-bedroom houses, saying they showed Rwanda was “clearly ready” to deliver on its part of the bargain.
The developers behind the Riverside Estates project are ‘in talks’ with the Rwandan government to provide some of the 2,500 homes. An undisclosed proportion of the £120m deal from the Home Office went towards start-up costs for the Rwandan government.
Suella Braverman today toured the buildings in Rwanda where immigrants from Canal ships can be held under her controversial deportation scheme.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman meets graduate builders in Kigali, Rwanda, who will help build houses that could house 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 cushions, Ms Braverman said: “These houses are really beautiful, high quality, very cozy and I like their interior designer.” I need advice for myself.
In one of the houses, sitting on a beige velvet sofa with pink floral cushions, Ms Braverman said: “These houses are really beautiful, high quality, very cozy and I like their interior designer.” I need advice for myself.
Other houses on the 70-acre estate are available for Rwandans to buy, with prices starting at £14,000 for a two-bedroom house.
Built from scratch in two weeks by a team of ten builders, each property comes with a front and rear lawn, many with views of the rolling landscape, as well as off-street parking.
The scheme will eventually house 15,000 people.
