Sunak pins hopes on a new Rwanda asylum pact after supreme court defeat

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Sunak pins hopes on a new Rwanda asylum pact after supreme court defeat

Whitehall sources say it could take more than a year for any treaty to be passed, with next election looming

Rajeev Syal and Ignatius Ssuuna
Wed 15 Nov 2023 15.27 GMT
First published on Wed 15 Nov 2023 15.08 GMT

Rishi Sunak is attempting to finalise a new pact with Rwanda after a central plank of the British government’s immigration plans was ripped up by the supreme court.

A treaty, which would have to be ratified by the UK parliament, was being drawn up with the government in Kigali, the prime minister said.

Whitehall sources said it could take more than a year for a treaty to be passed and then go through legal challenges in the courts. This would mean that flights may not take off for Rwanda under any new treaty before the next election.

It comes after five judges at the supreme court unanimously rejected the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to the east African country. Deportation flights to Kigali will not take off despite the UK handing over more than £140m for a policy that has been stalled during more than a year of legal challenges.

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Original Guardian link (registration required): https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/nov/15/rishi-sunak-new-rwanda-asylum-pact-supreme-court-defeat