According to the National Audit Office (NAO), the British government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda could end up costing more than 600 million pounds in order to deport just 300 refugees. This controversial policy, which was first announced in 2022, involves sending asylum seekers who arrive on England’s southern coast in small boats to Rwanda. However, due to ongoing legal challenges, no one has been deported under this scheme so far.
Although the government aims to eventually send thousands of people to Rwanda, it remains unclear what the actual capacity of the East African nation would be to accommodate these individuals.
In addition to the 220 million pounds already paid to Rwanda, the government has committed to paying an additional 150 million pounds over the next three years, as well as 120 million pounds once the first 300 asylum seekers have been resettled, as disclosed by the NAO on Friday.
The British government will also have to pay Rwanda 150,874 pounds for each individual resettled, covering various costs associated with the relocation process, the spending watchdog added, making the overall cost of the policy exceed 600 million pounds.
The NAO noted that the government has the option to activate a break clause after three months, but any previous payments to Rwanda would not be recoverable. Additionally, the government would still have to honour future payments related to relocated individuals.
Describing the policy as “high-risk and novel,” the NAO stated that the final cost would depend on the number of individuals actually deported under the scheme.
Despite a ruling by the UK’s Supreme Court last year declaring the scheme unlawful due to violations of British and international human rights laws, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has vowed to proceed with the plan. To prevent further legal challenges, the government is pushing through legislation in parliament to designate Rwanda as a safe country.
Sunak has heavily invested political capital in the policy and hopes that executing deportation flights before an expected election later this year will provide a boost for the Conservative Party, which currently lags behind in opinion polls.
Many asylum seekers arriving in Britain via small boats claim they are escaping conflict and mistreatment in regions such as the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, with the majority eventually being granted refugee status. However, the British government argues that around 90% of those making the journey are men, many of whom are economic migrants rather than genuine refugees. In the current year, 2,255 asylum seekers have arrived in Britain through small boats.
($1 = 0.7898 pounds)
(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill and Michael Holden; Editing by Jan Harvey)
