Migrants continue to brave the cold and come to the UK (Picture: AFP)
Rwanda could be given an additional £15,000,000 if they sign a treaty with the UK to accept migrants who arrive in Britain via small boats.
The money would be in addition to the already £140 million given to Rwanda’s government if they accept further asylum seekers arriving in the UK after crossing the English Channel.
Downing Street said any ‘potential cash boost’ would cover ‘additional costs’ associated with addressing the concerns raised by the Supreme Court when it ruled the plan was unlawful.
Home Secretary James Cleverly could fly out to Rwanda as early as tomorrow as emergency legislation could be tabled this week, according to The Sunday Times.
It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak met Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame at the Cop28 climate talks in Dubai.
Some reports speculate that the additional £15 million will be used to pay for extra personnel to improve and expand the Rwandan asylum processing system.
Mr Sunak held a passionate press conference on November 15 when the scheme was ruled unlawful (Picture: Getty)
The legislation has sparked outrage and protests (Picture: PA)
Mr Sunak said he was amid ‘finalising’ legislation designed to push through the Rwanda proposal and has set the target of deportation flights taking off by the spring.
The bid to send some asylum seekers on a one-way trip to the African nation was dealt a blow when the Supreme Court ruled it unlawful last month.
Mr Sunak’s attempt to save the policy involves the signing of a new treaty with Kigali and the introduction of emergency legislation allowing Parliament to deem the country safe, despite concerns raised by senior judges.
Following the judgment by the Supreme Court on November 15, Downing Street originally said a new small boats law would be published within days but the wait has gone on for weeks.
Migrants have continued to brave freezing December conditions to cross the Channel.
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Almost 28,500 asylum seekers arrived to the UK in 2023 using the sea route, with the one-year anniversary of Mr Sunak’s stop the boats pledge approaching next month.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has dismissed the Rwanda policy as a ‘gimmick’ and accused the Tories of a ‘betrayal’ of their 2019 manifesto commitment to lower migration.
Sir Keir, who is on course to become the next prime minister according to opinion polls, said he would not shy away from discussing contentious issues such as immigration.
Last month, judges overturned a High Court ruling that previously said the east African nation could be considered a ‘safe third country’.
In the judgment, Sir Geoffrey Vos said there were ‘substantial grounds’ to think that asylum seekers faced ‘real risks’ of torture or inhuman treatment, or that their claims for asylum would not be properly determined in Rwanda.
Lord Burnett added the court reached its conclusion on the law and took ‘no view whatsoever’ about the political merits of the policy.
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