On his first day as prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that the Rwanda deportation plan is officially canceled. This scheme, created by the previous Conservative government, aimed to send migrants arriving illegally in the UK to Rwanda.
Labour had promised to end this costly program, which has already used up around £310 million, and instead implement a more effective approach to tackle illegal immigration.
In a press conference, Starmer stated that the Rwanda plan was “dead and buried before it started,” arguing it was never a real deterrent, as it would only affect a small fraction of those arriving in small boats.
The financial cost of ending the plan is still unknown, and there are questions about what will happen to the 52,000 migrants who were supposed to be deported.
The plan was a major point of contention under the previous prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who claimed it would stop people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
However, despite being announced two years ago, it faced numerous legal challenges and never actually began.
This year alone, over 13,000 people have arrived in the UK via small boats, surpassing numbers from previous years.
Starmer criticized the plan for failing and said the new government will prioritize stopping illegal migration. Labour’s strategy involves hiring investigators and using counter-terror powers to dismantle smuggling gangs. Full details of Labour’s new plan are yet to be revealed.
Some, like Kevin Saunders, former chief immigration officer for Border Force, worry about Labour’s lack of a clear plan to stop small boat crossings.
Saunders noted that the Rwanda scheme had caused fear among migrants in France, leading some to flee to Ireland. He predicts that between 50,000 and 60,000 illegal migrants could cross the Channel this year.
Credit: BBC.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz9dn8erg3zo