Three-day Supreme Court battle over Rwanda asylum scheme begins TODAY
Britain’s top judges to begin considering the fate of the Rwanda migrant scheme TODAY as three-day Supreme Court battle starts with Government seeking to show its deportation plan is lawful
Britain’s top judges are beginning their consideration of the Government’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
A three-day Supreme Court hearing starts this morning with ministers seeking to show the proposed multi-million pound scheme is lawful.
The Rwanda plan was announced in April last year, but so far no migrants have been sent to the African country as it has been stalled by legal challenges.
This week’s Supreme Court hearing will see the Home Office bring a challenge after the Court of Appeal ruled in June that the scheme was unlawful.
Five justices at the UK’s highest court will hear arguments over whether two appeal judges were right to find there was a ‘real risk’ asylum seekers could be returned to their home country and face persecution when they may have a good asylum claim.
A three-day Supreme Court hearing starts this morning with ministers seeking to show the proposed multi-million pound scheme is lawful
Home Secretary Suella Braverman pictured with Rwanda president Paul Kagame during a visit to Kigali in March
Mrs Braverman toured a building site on the outskirts of Kigali in March as she was shown preparations for asylum seekers being sent to Rwanda
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made the Rwanda plan a key part of his pledge to ‘stop the boats’ as he seeks to end the Channel migrant crisis
But while appeal judges Sir Geoffrey Vos and Lord Justice Underhill concluded there were ‘deficiencies’ in the Rwandan asylum system and ruled the policy was unlawful, former lord chief justice Lord Burnett disagreed and said he would dismiss the challenge.
As well as the Home Office’s bid to overturn the decision, several individual asylum seekers are set to challenge aspects of the ruling.
Cabinet ministers are said to be confident the Supreme Court hearing will go in their favour due to its previous rulings that have warned against over-interpretation of human rights laws.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made the Rwanda plan a key part of his pledge to ‘stop the boats’ as he seeks to end the Channel migrant crisis.
He said at the Tory conference in Manchester last week: ‘We are by no means where we want to be but don’t let anyone tell you we aren’t making progress, we are and we will get there.
‘Our new law will ensure that if you come here illegally, you will be detained and swiftly removed. Now I’m confident that once flights start going regularly to Rwanda, the boats will stop coming.’
He added: ‘I am confident that our approach complies with our international obligations. But know this: I will do whatever is necessary to stop the boats.’
Sir Keir Starmer, speaking at this week’s Labour conference in Liverpool, vowed to scrap plans to forcibly remove asylum seekers to even if the policy is deemed legal by the courts and such action reduces the number of unauthorised Channel crossings.
The Labour leader was asked in a BBC interview if he would terminate the plans even if judges approve it and small boat crossings then decline.
‘Yes. I think it’s the wrong policy, it’s hugely expensive,’ he told the Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.
‘It’s a tiny number of individuals who would go to Rwanda and the real problem is at source.
‘You’re putting this to me on the basis that it’s working, we’ve been told by the Government time and again that even saying they’ve got a Rwanda scheme will reduce the numbers – that hasn’t happened.’
The Supreme Court hearing in London, before Lords Reed, Hodge, Lloyd-Jones, Briggs and Sales, is due to begin at 10.30am.
Source: Read Full Article