The African state is pursuing £50m from Downing Street after alleging that an agreement to transit asylum seekers ahead of claim processing was never cancelled.
According to a news report and supplementary documents by the Rwandan Government, shortly after taking power in July 2024, Labour moved to stop the Conservative-initiated Migration and Economic Development Partnership between the UK and Rwanda. Among other things, this involved a deal worth £50 million per year which would see asylum seekers trying to apply for the right to stay in Britain undergo processing ‘offshore’.
The hugely controversial arrangement – the subject of numerous human rights interventions, both on the part of activists and legal powers – was ‘dead and buried’ as per Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The UK then submitted a request for Rwanda to forgo payments in April 2024 and 2025. This was accepted with the proviso that the contract would be formally terminated with new financial terms agreed.
Discussions between Rwanda and the United Kingdom did not however ultimately take place and the amounts remain due and payable under the treaty,’ a story on the Gov.rw explained. ‘
‘The United Kingdom, however, has made clear that it has no intention of making any further payment under the MEDP treaty,’ it continued. ‘It has also made clear that it has no intention of honouring its further commitment to make arrangements to resettle in the UK a portion of the most vulnerable refugees hosted in Rwanda. Disappointingly, Rwanda’s attempts to move the UK from its entrenched position have been unsuccessful.’
A spokesperson for Downing Street has said the administration will ‘robustly defend its position to protect British taxpayers’, and outlined the failure of the scheme as a rationale for breaching the terms.
Image: Jean Claude Akarikumutima / Unsplash
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