Rwanda Scheme Costs Spiral To £290m Despite No Deportation Flights Taking Off

Another fine mess for the "chaotic and hopeless Tory government".
Home secretary James Cleverly, left, and Rwandan minister of foreign affairs Vincent Biruta shake hands after signing a new treaty in Kigali, Rwanda.
Home secretary James Cleverly, left, and Rwandan minister of foreign affairs Vincent Biruta shake hands after signing a new treaty in Kigali, Rwanda.
via Associated Press

Taxpayers are being handed a £290 million bill for the controversial Rwanda deportation scheme despite not a single flight taking off for the east African country.

It has emerged the government spent a further £100 million in the 2023-24 financial year on the policy, on top of the £140 million previously paid out.

Ministers expect another £50 million cost in the coming year. One-way flights taking asylum seekers to Rwanda remain grounded amid a series of legal setbacks.

The figures were revealed in a letter from Home Office official Matthew Rycroft to the chairs of two parliamentary committees probing the policy.

Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “It’s basically £100m for every home secretary trip to Rwanda. Even by the standards of this chaotic and hopeless Tory government, this is unbelievable.”

This is unbelievable.

£290m of UK taxpayers money to Rwanda (£240m sent & £50m more soon) without a single asylum seeker being sent

Tory Ministers repeatedly refused to come clean while they kept writing more cheques

Britain can’t afford more of this costly Tory chaos & farce https://t.co/xihqCqRy0Y

— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) December 7, 2023

This week, the Conservatives unveiled a bill that will let it ignore a part of the UK’s human rights law in order to send asylum seekers to Rwanda as part of Rishi Sunak’s “stop the boats” policy.

The legislation is designed to overcome a block by the UK Supreme Court on its Rwanda policy. The court ruled last month that the plan was illegal because Rwanda isn’t a safe country for refugees.

It came after James Cleverly became the third home secretary to sign a deal with Rwanda, meaning the country’s foreign minister, Vincent Biruta, once again appeared alongside a Tory minister for a signing ceremony.

Close

What's Hot