By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A London Court of Appeal on Thursday ruled that the plan to send asylum seekers from UK to Rwanda is illegal, a ruling seen as a major setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to curb the activities of illegal migrants who find their way into the country through small boats.
The deal reached last year, allows British authorities to deport tens of thousands of asylum seekers who arrive on its shores more than 6,400 kilometers to Rwanda, a country in East Africa.
The Appeal Court ruling voids the decision of the High Court which had in December ruled that the policy was lawful, a decision challenged by asylum seekers from several countries along with human rights community.
The 3-man panel of justices of the Appeal Court of ruled by a majority that Rwanda could not be treated as a safe third country.
“The deficiencies in the asylum system in Rwanda are such that there are substantial grounds for believing that there is a real risk that persons sent to Rwanda will be returned to their home countries where they face persecution or other inhumane treatment,” judge Ian Burnett said.
Burnett while reading the judgement said he himself disagreed with the other two judges on this point.
The ruling is a huge setback for the Prime Minister who is battling high levels of inflation, declining public support, and is under increasing pressure from his own party and the public to deal with migrant arrivals in small boats.
Sunak has made “stop the boats” one of five priorities and is hoping a fall in arrivals might help his Conservative Party pull off an unexpected win at the next national election.
The first planned deportation flight was blocked a year ago in a last-minute ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which imposed an injunction preventing any deportations until the conclusion of legal action in Britain.
The ruling comes amidst speculation that it could cost a whopping £169,000 ($200,000) to send one asylum to Rwanda, further putting pressure on the economy of UK battling inflation.
This cost would cover £105,000 payable to the host country accommodation and administrative fees.
