Supreme Court battle over Rwanda ruling
HOME Secretary Suella Braverman last night welcomed a Supreme Court showdown on Rwanda deportations.
The Government was told it can challenge the Court of Appeal’s ruling that plans to send asylum seekers to the east African nation were unlawful.
The two-to-one appeal court victory for migrant rights campaigners said “deficiencies” in Rwanda’s asylum system meant it would be illegal to deport arrivals.
Sir Geoffrey Vos and Lord Justice Underhill concluded there were “substantial grounds” to believe there was a “real risk” they could be moved from Rwanda to their home countries, where they could be killed or tortured. That meant the nation was not a “safe third country”.
But Ms Braverman vowed the Government would continue to fight for the move.
She said: “I welcome this decision to grant permission to appeal.
“We need innovative solutions, like our Migration Partnership, to stop the boats, break the business model of the people smuggling gangs and prevent further loss of life in the [English] Channel.
“I absolutely believe this policy is lawful and both the High Court and Court of Appeal have been unanimously clear that relocating asylum seekers to a safe third country can be done in line with the Refugee Convention.
“The assurances we have had from Rwanda regarding asylum protections are also robust and both the High Court and Lord Chief Justice found that the arrangements provided sufficient safeguards.”
Sending migrants to Rwanda is a key part of the Government’s policy to stop illegal UK arrivals in small boats.
However, any Supreme Court ruling can be challenged at the European Court of Human Rights.