Reactions to Supreme Court ruling on Rwanda

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

“We have seen today’s judgment and will now consider next steps. 

“This was not the outcome we wanted, but we have spent the last few months planning for all eventualities and we remain completely committed to stopping the boats.   

“Crucially, the Supreme Court – like the Court of Appeal and the High Court before it – has confirmed that the principle of sending illegal migrants to a safe third country for processing is lawful. This confirms the Government’s clear view from the outset.

"Illegal migration destroys lives and costs British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. We need to end it and we will do whatever it takes to do so.

“Because when people know that if they come here illegally, they won’t get to stay then they will stop coming altogether, and we will stop the boats.”

Background (reportable)

• The Home Secretary is expected to make a statement in the House this afternoon.
• The Prime Minister will hold a press conference in Downing Street at 4.45pm this afternoon

Rwanda ruling: Time to forget about Rwanda and focus on fixing UK asylum system, says IPPR 

Responding to today’s Supreme Court ruling that sending thousands of migrants to Rwanda would be unlawful, Marley Morris, IPPR associate director for migration, trade and communities said:  

“Today’s ruling will send the government back to the drawing board as it wrestles with how to respond to the small boat crossings.

“While the government may do its best to resurrect the Rwanda plan or find deals elsewhere, there is little prospect of success in the short term. It may be lawful in principle to relocate people to third countries, but the Rwanda saga shows how hard it is to find a country which is both willing to accept large numbers of asylum seekers from the UK and which has a safe, well-functioning asylum system. 

“Now is the time for a serious, credible alternative to the Rwanda agreement. IPPR has put forward a three-point plan that focuses on safe routes to divert people away from dangerous Channel crossings, new deals with France and the EU on asylum, and reforms to our asylum system to get the backlog under control. It’s time for the government to adopt it.” 

IPPR’s alternative blueprint to deliver a humane and effective response to the problem of small boat crossings, published last month, called on government to: 

• Create new safe and accessible routes for people seeking refuge in the UK by piloting a new refugee visa, widening currently restrictive refugee family reunion rules and expanding the UK Resettlement Scheme.   
• Renew collaboration with European neighbours to enhance cooperation on tackling people smuggling, resolve the immigration status of people in northern France, and agree fair rules for deciding which country should process asylum claims.  
• Fix the UK’s broken domestic asylum system by reducing the backlog, introducing a new approach to voluntary asylum returns and reforming the current model of asylum accommodation.

Tony Blair Institute Home Affairs Lead Harvey Redgrave’s comment on the Supreme Court Ruling on the Government’s Rwanda plan:

“Even if the legality of the Rwanda plan had been upheld it would have failed to meet its stated aim of deterrence, since the capacity of the scheme is tiny in comparison to the scale of the problem. Without legal and viable routes to the UK, asylum seekers would still undertake dangerous journeys, playing into the hands of the criminal people smugglers. 

“So what next for UK asylum policy given that withdrawing from the ECHR, as some Conservatives have floated, would undermine the Windsor Framework?

“With new leadership in the Home Office, the government has a chance to reset and deliver a comprehensive plan to prevent illegal migration by focussing on clearing the backlog, increasing the number of returns, introducing a system of digital identity verification and opening up safe and viable routes for asylum claims.

“This would give the British people what they want - a practical solution that balances compassion with control.” 

Further info

Harvey Redgrave is the author of ‘Fixing the Asylum System: A Workable Plan’. He has previously served as deputy director in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, where he led several major strategic reviews on behalf of a series of UK prime ministers affecting policy reform.