Rwandan President says he'll return money as he voices frustration over crisis
Rwanda's President has offered floundering Rishi Sunak a refund if the UK can't get asylum seekers on planes.
Paul Kagame appeared frustrated with the ongoing crisis which has dragged the Government into a damaging civil war. He suggested he would be prepared to return the eye-watering sums of British taxpayers' money handed over by the Tories. Mr Kagame said: "The money is going to be used on those people who will come. If they don't come we can return the money."
Asked if his country was safe, he said: "It's the UK's problem, not Rwanda's problem." He went on: "There are limits for how long this can drag on."
So far the UK has given £240million to Rwanda, and in April a further £50million payment is due. The Government refuses to say how much more it has promised, but there will also be annual payments in 2025 and 2026.
Following the President's remarks, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo later said the country has "no obligation" to return any of the cash - but if the UK requested a refund "we will consider this". But she said this would only apply to a portion of funds specifically allocated for support for migrants.
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Rishi Sunak has been rocked by the resignation of Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)And pressed by the BBC over whether the deal was working, Mr Kagame said: "Ask the UK. It is the UK's problem, not Rwanda's problem." He was speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he faced criticism from other African leaders for entering a deal with the UK.
New YouGov polling revealed that more than half of voters - 53% - do not think the scheme is going to stop the boats, with just 28% thinking it will. And 47% believe it isn't good value for money.
Labour Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: "If Rwanda says we can have the money back from this failing scheme, Rishi Sunak should seize the chance, instead of dragging out this Tory asylum chaos any longer. We need proper grip not more of this failing gimmick.
“The taxpayer is being hit for more than £400 million for a scheme that is only likely to cover one per cent of those arriving. That money could go instead into strengthening our border security, including Labour’s plan to crackdown on the criminal smuggler gangs with cross-border law enforcement and establish a major new returns unit.”
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It comes at a messy time for No10. The Prime Minister is trying to force through new legislation that declares Rwanda is safe - despite the Supreme Court and human rights groups saying it's not. Last night two Tory deputy chairmen, Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, and one junior Government minister, Jane Stevenson, quit - saying Mr Sunak's plan wouldn't work.
Sixty Tory MPs - including heavyweights Liz Truss, Suella Braverman, Robert Jenrick and Sir Iain Duncan Smith - backed an amendment calling for Mr Sunak's Safety of Rwanda Bill to be beefed up. If enough of them vote against it this evening Mr Sunak faces humiliation and his job could become untenable.
Ms Braverman, calling for the Bill to be strengthened with Human Rights Act protections stripped out, admitted two previous attempts to pass laws stopping small boat crossing have failed. She told MPs: "This is our last chance to get this right." She said that a "fatal flaw" in Mr Sunak's legislation means flights could be grounded by overseas judges.
In its desperation to make the plan work, the Government plans to draft in 150 judges to hear appeals. This has sparked outrage, with crime victims already facing long delays waiting for justice. And Illegal Immigration Minister Michael Tomlinson said the Civil Service code could be tweaked to allow officials to ignore injunctions.
Labour's shadow immigration minister, Stephen Kinnock, voiced his frustration at being in "day 643 of the Rwanda psychodrama that the Conservative Party continues to inflict on our weary and baffled country."
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He told MPs it had only been put forward in an effort to save Boris Johnson, but added it had "taken on a life of its own". Mr Kinnock said that even if it happens, the agreement will only result in a "few hundred" people being sent to Rwanda.
Lashing out at ministers' plan to draft in judges, Mr Kinnock said: "Regardless of the operation issues, just imagine the impact the Prime Minister's glib announcement yesterday would have on you if you were the victim of rape who has been languishing for years in our broken judicial system. Just imagine the anger and disgust you would feel at the spectacle of a Conservative Prime Minister sacrificing your fight for justice on the altar of his desperate attempt to cling to power by appeasing his backbenchers.
"What an utterly shameful and shabby way for the Prime Minister of our country to behave."
The Government steadfastly claims it still plans to get deportation flights up and running by the spring. At Prime Minister's Questions, Labour leader Keir Starmer said the Tory party was "tearing itself apart, hundreds of bald men scrapping over a single broken comb". But Mr Sunak said: "I have absolute conviction that the plan we've put in place will work because I believe it is important that we grip this problem."
What is the plan?
In a nutshell, the UK has signed an agreement with the Rwandan Government which would see hundreds of asylum seekers flown 6,000 miles to the African nation.
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Although the Government says the country is safe and people will be well-treated, it also believes it will deter people from trying to reach the UK by unauthorised means, like small boats. Those sent to Rwanda could be granted refugee status and allowed to say there.
How much has it cost?
A lot. Last week after months of secrecy the Home Office finally revealed that £240million has so far been handed over to Rwanda.
This will rise to £290million later in the year, and is expected to rise still further through annual payments. These are believed to be £50million - plus a fee for each person sent there, but the Government refuses to reveal what it's costing. Last month the top civil servant at the Home Office revealed that the cost was only made public because someone in Rwanda had accidentally released it. If the Government had its way we'd still be in the dark. Meanwhile a long-awaited economic assessment estimated in the summer that the plan will cost £169,000 per person.
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On top of that there are the legal costs, which have reportedly passed £2million. But this could rise still further, and the total cost for the project has yet to be released. But ministers claim it will save "billions" in the long run, due to accomodation costs because of the massive asylum backlog.
Has anyone been sent there yet?
Only if you count Home Secretaries. Priti Patel gleefully announced the deal in April 2022, saying it would be a groundbreaker in tackling illegal migration.
That June a first flight was cancelled at the last minute due to a legal challenge, and the project has been stalled since. In March Suella Braverman - who was sacked last month - travelled to Kigali with a carefully-selected press pack on a PR trip. Following his appointment her replacement, James Cleverly, jetted to Rwanda during negotiations over a new treaty. But all three came back.
How many asylum seekers can Rwanda take?
The Government said there's no top limit on the number of people who can be sent to Rwanda. What's less clear is how many people can be sent as soon as the project goes live. This week the Prime Minister's official spokesman was unable to say what the capacity will be on day one of the scheme being operational.
Last year the Home Office said Rwanda will have accommodation for around 200 people at first. GIven that over 43,000 small boat crossings were recorded in the 12 months to June, there are questions over how much of a difference it will make.
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