We are being misled by a PM desperate to sell a wicked policy. Rwanda, per head, hosts five times more refugees than the UK
In my time working for the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a stark fact was often mentioned: the vast majority of the world’s displaced people are hosted by the world’s poorest countries. Today, 85% of refugees live in developing countries while the richest nations host just 15%.
While Rwanda might be developing economically, it is still among the world’s 25 poorest countries. The UK is among the world’s 10 richest countries. To acknowledge the disparity of wealth between the two nations and decide that Rwanda is better able to accommodate people attempting the treacherous journey across the Channel takes a huge leap of the imagination. The deal announced by home secretary Priti Patel in Kigali on Thursday demonstrates the government’s tenacious commitment to positioning Britain as a country that is closed to the world, and to those who need its sanctuary the most.
Joshua Surtees is a journalist and former writer for UNHCR
