Government’s flagship policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda has been branded ‘unworkable’ and ‘inhumane’ by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
The plan, which was announced in April, has been widely criticized by human rights groups and charities. It has also been met with legal challenges, with the first deportation flight to Rwanda being grounded in June following a last-minute intervention by the European Court of Human Rights.
Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Starmer said the government’s Rwanda policy was not working and not humane.
The government’s Rwanda plan is unworkable and inhumane. It is a shameful policy that has no place in a civilized society, he said.
Labour will scrap the Rwanda plan and replace it with a fair and humane asylum system that is based on compassion and respect for human rights.
The government has defended the Rwanda policy, saying it is necessary to deter people from making dangerous journeys across the English Channel. However, critics argue that the policy is cruel and ineffective, and that it will do little to deter people from seeking asylum in the UK.
The Rwanda policy is just one part of the government’s wider crackdown on immigration. In recent months, the government has also introduced a new Nationality and Borders Act, which makes it more difficult for asylum seekers to claim refugee status in the UK.
The government’s approach to immigration has been criticized by human rights groups and charities. Amnesty International has called the Rwanda policy a cruel and inhumane way to treat people seeking safety, while the Refugee Council has said that the Nationality and Borders Act will create a hostile environment for refugees and asylum seekers.
The government’s Rwanda policy is likely to continue to face legal challenges. In July, the High Court ruled that the policy was lawful, but the court also said that the government had failed to properly consider the human rights of the asylum seekers who were due to be deported to Rwanda.
The government has said that it will appeal the High Court’s ruling. However, it is unclear whether the Rwanda policy will ever be implemented.
Kind regards E. Thompson.
