Britain has further invested in its controversial plan to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda, paying an additional £100 million to the East African nation.
This brings the total cost of the scheme to £240 million, with another £50 million expected next year.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s flagship policy to deter illegal immigration has yet to see any asylum seekers moved to Rwanda due to ongoing legal battles. This, coupled with the mounting costs, has put the plan under increasing scrutiny and criticism.
The opposition Labour Party slammed the escalating costs, highlighting the burden on taxpayers. Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow interior minister, expressed frustration on social media, calling it “costly Tory chaos & farce.”
However, Tom Pursglove, the new minister for legal migration, defended the investment, arguing that it would ultimately save money by reducing the cost of housing asylum seekers in the UK. He estimated that the current system costs £8 million per day.
Additionally, Pursglove emphasized that the Rwanda payments contribute to their economic development and facilitate the implementation of the asylum partnership.
He clarified that these payments are separate from a new treaty signed between the two countries aimed at addressing concerns raised by the UK Supreme Court regarding human rights violations.
“When you consider that we are unacceptably spending 8 million pounds a day in the asylum system at the moment, it is a key part of our strategy to bring those costs down,” he said.
