Ministers have lost in court, and should scrap their ‘dream’ of sending asylum seekers to Africa
The government’s loss in the court of appeal ought to mean the end of its unrealised – and awful – project to deport people to Rwanda. Under the terms of a deal between the two governments, asylum seekers’ claims would be processed there and they would be allowed to stay if successful. But in a case brought by asylum seekers and the charity Asylum Aid, judges ruled by two to one that Rwanda is not, as ministers insist, a “safe third country”.
It has been clear since Priti Patel announced the scheme that it was neither a humane nor a practical way of dealing with desperate people, including those who arrive in England on boats from France. But since Suella Braverman took over as home secretary, the government’s commitment appears only to have strengthened. Ms Braverman, bizarrely, has described the plan as her “dream” and “obsession”. In March she allowed only selected news organisations to accompany her on a trip to the central African nation, where she posed for photos with her thumbs up.
