Labour warned scrapping Rwanda scheme will 'open UK borders to people smugglers'
Tories warn that axing the controversial law would send out the message that the UK is 'not serious' when it comes to tackling illegal migration
Labour has been urged not to repeal a flagship Tory law to ensure flights taking migrants to Rwanda were not derailed by legal challenges.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has declared the plan to send people who come to the UK illegally “dead and buried” – and now the Government is considering taking the Safety of Rwanda Act off the statute book entirely.
Senior Tories have warned this would send out the wrong message to people considering making an attempt to enter the UK illegally.
The alarm follows a suggestion by Germany’s migration agreements commissioner that the EU state could use UK-funded facilities in Rwanda to process asylum seekers in Rwanda.
Conservative leadership candidate James Cleverly – who previously served as Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary – said: “Cancelling the Rwanda partnership has removed our deterrent and opened our borders to people smugglers. By repealing the Safety of Rwanda Act while Germany takes up the facilities we set up in Rwanda for their own plans, the Labour party are just proving that they are putting ideology over border control.”
Home Office minister Lord Hanson stated last month that the partnership with Rwanda is “finished” and it is “carrying out a legislative review which includes consideration of the repeal of the Safety of Rwanda Act”.
Rival Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick, a former immigration minister, said Labour’s decision to axe the scheme “looks more idiotic by the day”.
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He said: “Sir Keir has squandered such a highly-prized partnership and is now powerless to stop the boats. He has consigned the UK to yet more years of illegal crossings - and the British public will pay the price.”
A Labour source said Germany had provided assurances that talk of using British-funded facilities in Rwanda is nonsense.
Former security minister Sir John Hayes warned against ditching the Safety of Rwanda Act, saying: “It would send out the message that we’re not serious about tackling illegal migration and the Government has no real plan to stop the boats.”
