Harry Chapman
The Supreme Court has ruled the policy of forcing asylum seekers to migrate to Rwanda unlawful.
The ruling came just after 10am on Wednesday 15th November. It is the latest blow for the Conservatives, who have pledged to pass new laws to “stop the boats”.
To tackle the highest number of asylum seekers in the UK since 2002
The policy was first introduced in April 2022, during Boris Johnson’s premiership, to tackle the highest number of asylum seekers in the UK since 2002. It has faced legal challenges since then.
This week has already seen numerous issues for Rishi Sunak. After sacking Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Monday, leading to him being accused of betrayal in a scathing letter, Sunak also had to contend with the criticism of the appointment of former leader David Cameron.
Sunak announced his “commitment to stopping the boats is unwavering” despite the […] verdict
During Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Sunak announced his “commitment to stopping the boats is unwavering” despite the Supreme Court’s verdict. Meanwhile the Labour leader Keir Starmer suggested he had “wasted all of this time on a gimmick”.
Government lawyers have argued that a deterrent is necessary to ensure that small boats do not cross the English Channel. Refugee charities disagree with this claim.
“When I’ve talked to asylum seekers [..] they don’t think it would have been a deterrent
Farai Nhakaniso, from the campaign group Everything Human Rights, said: “When I’ve talked to asylum seekers about it, they don’t think it would have been a deterrent.”
Reuters reports the Government has already handed over £140 million to Rwanda to push numbers of boat crossings down. Yet despite this, more than 27,000 people have landed on UK shores this year.
No deportation flights have taken place after legal challenges and protests have halted them.
Emergency legislation
Sunak has since announced emergency legislation to push his plans through. It is unclear how far Sunak is willing to go to defend this policy given the former Home Secretary’s support for it.
Harry Chapman
Featured image courtesy of Saffa via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
For more content including Uni News, Reviews, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Features and so much more, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like our Facebook page for more articles and information on how to get involved.
To keep up to date with all the latest Impact News, you can also follow us on the Impact News’ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter page.
