Dr Ruth Brittle considers human rights fears in sending refugees to Rwanda
The controversial five-year asylum deal with Rwanda, worth an initial £120m, has drawn widespread criticism including three Conservative MPs who described the deal as establishing a British ‘Guantanamo Bay’ (House of Commons debate, 22 March 2022). The government’s justification for the deal is that it will deter irregular entry to the UK and will break the ‘business model’ of smugglers and traffickers.
How will it work?
Under the UK-Rwanda Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the UK will ‘relocate’ people to Rwanda for claims processing – and if recognised as refugees, they will stay in Rwanda, without the option to return to the UK. The deal undermine...
