The Government’s plan to send male asylum seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda, part of a number of measures to improve the system, has been met with passionate opposition. The Refugee Council, the Bishop of Durham and the opposition parties have united to condemn the move as cruel and unwarranted. It is, moreover, expensive, given that the deal with the Rwandan government would cost £120 million. There are serious questions about how it would work, as well as the ethics; the UK cannot subcontract the processing of asylum claims. Australia has for years sent its asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea, but that’s been far from problem-free.
The Prime Minister is, however, right to point out that there is a problem. Six hundred migrants crossed the Channel yesterday; in further good weather, 1,000 people might do so. The Home Secretary claims that the majority of those arriving are economic migrants; certainly in the case of those coming from EU countries, they are not fleeing persecution. Most failed asylum seekers are simply not returned.
