The British Supreme Court had ruled on Wednesday, November 15, that the government’s plan to send refugees to Rwanda was illegal, crushing the hopes of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak before the expected election next year.
With his flagship immigration policy already shattered, Sunak had remarked that he was working on a new proposal with Rwanda, and had said that if this did not solve the issue, he would pass new laws and revisit any international treaties which foiled his plans.
Under the scheme, Britain planned to send tens of thousands of refugees who arrived on its shores illegally to the East African country in an attempt to dissuade migrants from crossing the Channel from Europe in small vessels.
However, the top court on Wednesday without exception, ruled that Rwanda could not be considered a safe third country, too the joy of Sunak’s opponents who opined that the policy was unworkable and brutal.
The Rwanda scheme has been the central plan of Sunak’s immigration policy as he gears up to face an election next year, amid growing concern among several voters about the numbers of refugees from Europe.
The ruling had taken on even more political meaning after Sunak on Monday dismissed Interior Minister Suella Braverman, a renowned figure on his party’s right whose remit included dealing with immigration.
Braverman haf launched a withering attack on Sunak on Tuesday, November 15 saying that he had broken the agreement on fighting immigration and had betrayed the British people in the process.
