Displaying items by tag: Rwanda proposals

Robert Jenrick has resigned as the UK's immigration minister due to disagreements about the Government's new proposed Rwanda legislation, which he believes does not offer sufficient protections to end legal challenges that hinder the scheme. He stated that he found the proposal inadequate for successful implementation, describing it as ‘a triumph of hope over experience’. Sunak expressed disappointment, emphasising the risk of collapsing the scheme by entirely excluding the courts. The Rwanda option, aimed at deterring Channel crossings by asylum seekers, has faced delays and legal challenges, with no transfers as yet. The new bill seeks to circumvent the UK Supreme Court's ruling against the plan by limiting the applicability of the Human Rights Act (HRA) and other laws. However, it stops short of overriding the entire HRA and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), as some Conservative MPs desired. Labour's Yvette Cooper criticised the chaotic situation, highlighting the government's struggles. The bill’s potential success seems uncertain amid legal challenges and political divisions within the Conservative party.

Justin Welby spoke against proposed plans for illegal migrants to be transported to Rwanda before being able to apply to live in the UK. He said, ‘The principle must stand the judgement of God. It cannot carry the weight of our national responsibility as a country formed by Christian values. Sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God, who himself took responsibility for our failures.’ Also Dr Rowan Williams said, ‘Is the policy sinful? In a word, yes.’ The Archbishop of York said, ‘We can do better than this.’ Priti Patel has fought back against the criticisms via an article in The Times. It reads, ‘We are taking bold and innovative steps and it's surprising that those institutions that criticise the plans fail to offer their own solutions.'