In a unanimous decision, the five Supreme Court justices agreed with the Court of Appeal that there had not been a proper assessment of whether Rwanda was safe.
In what is yet more humiliation for the Conservative Party, the UK’s highest court has ruled the Rwanda asylum policy is unlawful.
In a unanimous decision, the five Supreme Court justices agreed with the Court of Appeal that there had not been a proper assessment of whether Rwanda was safe.
Flights forcibly removing migrants to Kigali will continue to be grounded after the ruling on the flagship policy that has been stalled by more than a year of legal challenges.
“There are substantial grounds for believing that the removal of the claimants to Rwanda would expose them to a real risk of ill-treatment by reason of refoulement,” the Supreme Court said in its judgment.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the ruling was “not the outcome we wanted” but added that “we have spent the last few months planning for all eventualities and we remain completely committed to stopping the boats”.
The Rwanda policy was a key part of the Tory government’s plan to stop small boat crossings, yet with the latest ruling it has been torn to pieces.
The government has handed over £140 million of taxpayer money to Rwanda for what has been a total policy failure.
The prime minister also suggested the government may seek to identify other potential countries for a deportation scheme.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 117 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.