UK Asylum Seekers Policy Costs Millions Amid Controversy and Legal Challenges

Controversial Asylum Seekers Policy Costs UK Government Millions

The recent revelations from the British government have unveiled that the expenditure on the contentious plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda far exceeded prior announcements. This policy, aimed at sending asylum seekers to the African nation for processing and resettlement, was promoted by successive Conservative prime ministers as a flagship initiative to combat irregular migration.

Despite its ambitious aims, the program has yet to deport any asylum seekers to Rwanda. In a notable incident this year, four individuals were placed on flights to the nation, but they were asylum seekers who voluntarily opted for relocation after receiving an incentive of £3,000 each.

During a parliamentary session on Monday, Britain’s new Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, disclosed that the overall cost incurred by the government reached approximately £700 million, equivalent to just over $900 million. “It is the most shocking waste of taxpayers’ money I’ve ever seen,” Ms. Cooper, whose office oversees immigration, stated emphatically to lawmakers.

Ms. Cooper disclosed that the previous administration had plans to allocate more than £10 billion towards the initiative over a span of six years, a detail that she noted was never communicated to Parliament. The costs accumulated thus far included:

• Over £290 million in direct payments to Rwanda
• Chartered flights that were ultimately canceled
• The detention and release of hundreds of asylum seekers
• Expenses related to the salaries of approximately 1,000 civil servants involved in the plan

Following the landslide victory of the Labour government earlier this month, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the intention to abolish the Rwanda scheme. The government is now assessing whether any of the funds could potentially be reclaimed, although Rwandan officials have made it clear that they do not plan to return the money. A spokesperson for the Rwandan government expressed earlier this month that the treaty between the two nations did not include any reimbursement clause and wished the UK “good luck.”

The Rwanda policy was initially introduced under Boris Johnson‘s administration in 2022 and faced immediate backlash from human rights organizations and legal experts who raised concerns about its legality under both domestic and international law. The policy was subsequently ruled unlawful by Britain’s highest court the previous year.

Despite the legal challenges, the Conservative government persisted in promoting the Rwanda initiative as a central part of their commitment to halting dangerous crossings made by small boats across the English Channel. The last Conservative prime minister, Rishi Sunak, enacted legislation declaring Rwanda a “safe country” in a bid to bypass the Supreme Court ruling and continued to advocate for the policy in the lead-up to the July 4 general election.

Tragically, at least 19 individuals have lost their lives while attempting to navigate the English Channel in small boats so far in 2024, with over 15,000 people making the perilous journey, according to government statistics.

In response to the ongoing situation, James Cleverly, the Conservative lawmaker and former Home Secretary, accused the Labour government of fabricating figures during a recent parliamentary debate. He asserted that the government lacks a credible strategy to prevent these crossings and to address the tragic loss of life occurring in the Channel.

Reporting by Stephen Castle contributed to this article.