Court Rejects Rwanda’s £100m Claim Over UK Asylum Deal

The UK will not be required to pay Rwanda more than £100 million linked to the abandoned migrant deportation scheme launched under former prime minister Boris Johnson, after an international arbitration tribunal ruled in Britain’s favour.

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The case arose after Rwanda accused the UK government of breaching a bilateral agreement following the cancellation of the asylum partnership in 2024. Rwanda sought two outstanding annual payments of £50 million each, along with compensation and interest.

Tribunal Sides With UK

The ruling followed a three-day hearing at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Judges found that the UK was not liable for the disputed payments after the scheme was terminated.

The tribunal rejected one £50 million claim by majority decision and unanimously dismissed the second £50 million claim. As a result, Rwanda’s demand for compensation was also unsuccessful.

A UK government spokesperson said the government had “robustly defended” its position and welcomed the ruling, noting that the tribunal had decided in Britain’s favour on all issues.

Scheme Ended After Change of Government

The asylum agreement was signed in 2022 between the UK and Rwanda. Under the arrangement, asylum seekers who reached Britain through irregular routes, including small-boat crossings and lorry journeys, could be relocated to Rwanda for processing.

The policy faced legal and political challenges from the outset. It was eventually declared unlawful by the UK Supreme Court.

After Keir Starmer and the Labour Party won the 2024 general election, the new government scrapped the programme. On his first full day in office, Starmer described the plan as “dead and buried” and dismissed it as a gimmick.

UK lawyers argued during the arbitration proceedings that it was entirely foreseeable the scheme would be abandoned following a change of government and that no further payments were owed.

Rwanda Cited Costs and Lack of Notice

Rwanda maintained that it had invested heavily in preparing for the partnership and claimed Britain had failed to meet its contractual obligations.

Rwandan Justice Minister and Attorney General Emmanuel Ugirashebuja told the court that the country had incurred significant costs and had not been given advance notice of the UK’s decision to end the arrangement. He said Rwandan officials learned of the move through media reports.

In legal submissions, Rwanda requested around £100 million in unpaid instalments, plus approximately £6 million in compensation and interest. Alternatively, it said it would accept a formal apology from the UK.

Costs and Wider Tensions

According to the UK government, only four people were relocated to Rwanda under the scheme, all on a voluntary basis. Britain had already paid Rwanda about £290 million before the policy was terminated.

The previous Conservative government had spent around £700 million on the programme before it was abandoned.

The ruling comes as relations between the two countries remain strained. The UK has reduced aid to Rwanda, alleging that Kigali supports the M23 rebel group operating in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 2 June 2026