11 December 2023 , 16:18
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The astronomical cost of the Rwanda project was only revealed after a blunder by a Rwandan official, MPs have heard.
After months of secrecy, it finally emerged last week that the UK paid £100million to the Rwandan government in April, on top of £140million already handed over since the previous year. Another £50million will be paid next year, bringing the total sum to £290million.
Top Home Office official Sir Matthew Rycroft admitted it hadn't been the Government's choice to reveal the huge cost. Just days earlier he refused to reveal the payments when quizzed by MPs.
He also admitted that Rwanda could walk away from the deal without accepting a single asylum seeker. Sir Matthew said: "The big thing that changed was someone in Rwanda had informed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of the £100million from April. That found its way into the footnote of an IMF board paper. At that point it was clear to me it was in the public domain and I wanted you to hear about it from me."
Sir Matthew said he had chosen not to reveal the payment when quizzed last week because it was "commercially sensitive". He said: "The UK could be negotiating a similar agreement with other countries as could Rwanda."
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He revealed that annual payments have been agreed between the UK and Rwanda under the five year agreement. Either side can break it after giving three months' notice - but if the UK does so it will not be able to claw the money back.
Sir Matthew added that an investigation is underway to find out how the figure became public. Under an agreement between the two nations, the payments were not due to be released until next July.
Dame Diana Johnson, who chairs the cross-party Home Affairs Select Committee, said she had only found out about it from social media. A letter from Sir Matthew had been sent to committee at 9.16pm on Thursday - half an hour before it was published online by the Home Office. She said: "I'm really surprised as a permanent secretary you don't seem to know the basics of how the system works."
Dame Diana told Sir Matthew he was "kidding himself" if he thought the Home Office had a constructive relationship with her committee and added: "We've struggled to get information out of you, it's very unsatisfactory."
And Dame Meg Hillier, who chairs the Public Accounts Committee, said: "We didn't have openness, we didn't have accountability." She questioned why the Home Office was acting with "secrecy".
The £290million bill is on top of the millions of pounds of legal feels spent on defending challenges against the policy, as well as the cost of three Home Secretaries visiting Rwanda, including Suella Braverman's £40,000 "vanity photo-op" trip.