UK’s Rwanda plan might not deter migrants: Official

Bloomberg

The UK government’s push to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda may not deter enough migrants to make the effort cost effective, the Home Office official charged with assessing the plan said.
Migrants who cross the English Channel on small boats risk being relocated to the African state with a one-way ticket, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in presenting the measure. His government will pay Rwanda about 120 million pounds ($158 million) to house them and process their asylum applications, Cabinet minister Simon Hart told Sky News.
Matthew Rycroft, the permanent secretary for the Home Office, said he led “a rigorous assessment of the regularity, propriety, feasibility and value for money of this policy.” Even if it proceeds, the plan could fail to reach its objectives of deterring immigration and reducing costs, he wrote in a letter to Home Secretary Priti Patel. The UK spends more than 1.5 billion pounds on its asylum system a year and 4.7 million pounds a day on hotels to house migrants.
“Evidence of a deterrent effect is highly uncertain and cannot be quantified with sufficient certainty to provide me with the necessary level of assurance over value for money,” he wrote. “I do not believe sufficient evidence can be obtained to demonstrate that the policy will have a deterrent effect significant enough to make the policy value for money.”
About 28,000 people made the crossing last year — it’s a journey that’s been been a regular source of tension with France, with the UK accusing President Emmanuel Macron’s government of not doing enough to prevent migrants leaving French shores.
By putting the emotive issue of immigration on top of the political agenda, Johnson is trying to rally support before next month’s local elections in England and Wales, with polls suggesting his Conservative party is set for significant losses.
Johnson championed the Brexit campaign, which was fueled by the promise that the UK would be able to clamp down on immigration once it left the European Union. Johnson’s failure to solve the issue since becoming prime minister in 2019 has been embarrassing for his administration, given his promise to “take back control” of Britain’s borders.

Archbishop of Canterbury criticises ‘Rwanda plan’

Bloomberg

The Archbishop of Canterbury slammed the UK government’s decision to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
In his Easter Sunday sermon delivered at Canterbury Cathedral, Justin Welby said that the decision raises “serious ethical questions” and does not “stand the judgment of God.”
The criticism from the most senior cleric in the Church of England follows Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that the government would send asylum seekers who cross the English Channel to Rwanda.
Welby’s comments add to the mounting opposition of the plan. Human rights groups and opposition political parties have previously denounced it as “cruel” and “unworkable, unethical and extortionate.” It’s also not a given that Johnson can rely on the support of all of his Conservative lawmakers, some of whom have spoken against the principle of sending asylum seekers away in the past.
Johnson has predicted a challenge in the courts that would make it unlikely for the plan to go ahead immediately.