The government's Rwanda asylum policy is in disarray after the UK's highest court ruled it is unlawful.

Ministers say the plan to deport asylum seekers and ban them from returning is needed to tackle small boat crossings.

But the Supreme Court upheld an earlier Court of Appeal ruling which said the policy leaves people sent to Rwanda open to human rights breaches.

The unanimous decision means the flagship policy can not go forward in its current form.

The ruling is the latest stage in the legal battle over the controversial plan since it was first announced by Boris Johnson in April 2022.

Flights were prevented from taking off in June last year after the Court of Appeal ruled the policy was unlawful due to a lack of human rights safeguards.

 

The legal case against the policy hinges on the principle of "non-refoulement" - that a person seeking asylum should not be returned to their country of origin if doing so would put them at risk of harm - which is established under both UK and international human rights law.

Ten claimants in the case argued that ministers had ignored clear evidence that Rwanda's asylum system was unfair and arbitrary.

In a unanimous decision, the five Supreme Court justices agreed with the Court of Appeal that there had not been a proper assessment of whether Rwanda was safe.

The judgment does not ban sending migrants to another country, but it leaves the £140m Rwanda scheme in tatters - and it is not clear which other nations are prepared to do a similar deal with the UK.

In their judgement, the Supreme Court justices said there were "substantial grounds" to believe people deported to Rwanda could then be sent, by the Rwandan government, to places where they would be unsafe.

Judgment 'emboldens people smugglers'

It said the Rwandan government had entered into the agreement in "good faith" but the evidence cast doubt on its "practical ability to fulfil its assurances, at least in the short term", to fix "deficiencies" in its asylum system and see through "the scale of the changes in procedure, understanding and culture which are required".

 

FULL STORY

 

Not really surprising.  What an odious shambles this government is.

Sunak needs to act swiftly to nip this in the bud and prevent the contagion of failure spreading through Government.

 

I suggest he fires the Home Secretary.

And Brexiteers cannot even blame the EU for it! 😀

If I had just one word to describe this government, it would have to be "desperate". Now with Cameron back, I fully expect we haven't even seen the worst yet.

The Government were repeatedly warned that their Rwanda ‘Plan’ was unlawful, they went ahead with it anyway.

 

Perhaps now they can ditch it and address the most pressing matters that actually concern people in the UK.

 

The cost of living

The crisis on the NHS

Housing shortages

Public Transport

Crime and failure of the police to attend call outs.

Schools closed due to structural failure of buildings.

Adult Care Services collapsing.

 

The stuff where people actually get something for the taxes they pay.

 

The stuff that has gotten worse every year for the past 14 years of this failed Government’s tenure.

 

 

 

https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/docs/uksc-2023-0093-etc-judgment.pdf
 

The full judgement.

 

For the Braverman supporters, these are the real facts, it is not a conspiracy, it is not a anti tory set of left wing UK Supreme Court judges, it is not because of ECHR, it is because Boris, ERG and the Tory government thought they did not have to follow UK law.

And they were right:

 

https://www.gbnews.com/news/rwanda-immigration-scheme-is-irrational-and-unlawful-campaigners-claim/302300

3 hours ago, candide said:

And Brexiteers cannot even blame the EU for it! 😀

 

Sweet, naive child.

 

Of course Brexiters will find a way to blame the EU for this fiasco🙄