Figures show that the cost of the scheme has spiralled to £290 million, despite the fact that not a single flight has taken off to the east African country.
Labour MP John McDonnell has slammed the Rwanda deportation scheme as an ‘appalling act of inhumanity’, as the government made clear its intention to push ahead with the policy despite the Supreme Court ruling that it was unlawful.
It comes after figures showed that the cost of the scheme has spiralled to £290 million, despite the fact that not a single flight has taken off to the east African country.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made stopping small boat crossings a key priority, with his plans taking a major hit after the Supreme Court ruled that the scheme was unlawful as Rwanda isn’t a safe country for refugees.
Since then, the Prime Minister has tried to stamp his authority after a growing rebellion among the right of his party against his approach. Sunak has put forward the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, which compels judges to treat Rwanda as a safe country and gives ministers the powers to disregard sections of the Human Rights Act.
McDonnell has called the bill the ‘most bizarre & brutal legislation we have seen in years’, adding: “Bizarre by arguing that making a law that says Rwanda is safe can change the reality of all the evidence pointing to the opposite. Brutal by forcing refugees into more insecurity & potential danger.”
He told LFF today that the deportation scheme was ‘an appalling act of inhumanity.’
He said: “The massive cost of the Rwanda scheme demonstrates how much the Tories are willing to spend on brutalising people who have already endured such hardship and human suffering in their flight to secure safety and security. It’s an appalling act of inhumanity.”
The policy has been widely condemned by a number of voices on the left. Peter Jukes, the Co Founder of Byline Times posted on X: “Just like Brexit, the Rwanda bill isn’t about any kind of workable policy or national sovereignty. It’s a sado populist spectacle – a form of cruel entertainment.
“This is the inevitable outcome of the culture wars: symbolic fantasy politics instead of representative democracy.”
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) has called the government’s policy immoral. It posted on X: “Only a few weeks ago the Rwanda plan was found to be unlawful by the Supreme Court.
“Not only is it unlawful, it’s immoral. This government is addicted to cruelty and even this new bill is not compliant with human rights.
“We must continue to come together to fight this.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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