Minister defends Rwanda policy after criticism

A GOVERNMENT minister has denied that the UK is outsourcing its responsibilities by sending migrants to Rwanda, after religious leaders criticised the move.

Greg Hands also echoed Home Secretary Priti Patel’s challenge for critics of the plan to come up with a better idea to tackle small boat crossings. Ministers are facing mounting anger over the policy from across the political spectrum, with veteran Tory MP Sir Roger Gale accusing the Government of shipping people abroad like “waste”.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has said the UK is “subcontracting out our responsibilities” by sending migrants thousands of miles to Africa, which he claimed is “the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures”.

Energy minister Mr Hands told Sky News: “No, we’re not. This is an agreement between two sovereign countries, the UK and Rwanda.

“I think what others, the critics of this plan, need to do is to show what their solution would be.”

Ms Patel had challenged opponents of the scheme to come up with a better idea to tackle “illegal” migrant crossings.

On Sunday, the Archbishop of Canterbury was joined in his criticism of the policy by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, who said: “We can do better than this.”

Writing in The Times with Rwandan foreign minister Vincent Biruta, the Home Secretary insisted her controversial plans were “bold and innovative”. She added: “It’s surprising that those institutions that criticise the plans fail to offer their own solutions.”

Sir Roger said he is “gravely concerned” about the policy’s “ethics, the morality, the legality and, brutally, also the cost-effectiveness”.