Campaigners call to end asylum law amid ‘chaos’ fears

The government’s sweeping asylum reforms and plans to send migrants to Rwanda could cause a “system meltdown” costing the taxpayer billions of pounds, campaigners have warned.

The Refugee Council called for immigration laws to be repealed to avoid catastrophe as it estimated recent changes to the system may end up emptying the public purse of up to £17.1 million a day – or around £6.2 billion a year – in accommodation costs alone.

The charity also suggested 115,575 asylum seekers could be stranded in a “permanent limbo” by the end of 2024.

It comes as Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill formally became law – following weeks of parliamentary deadlock – paving the way for deportation flights to get off the ground. The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill became an Act of Parliament after being granted royal assent, the Lord Speaker told the House of Lords yesterday.

The prime minister’s official spokesman told reporters the accompanying treaty the UK has signed with the east African nation should be ratified in the afternoon.

It comes as the home secretary insisted spending money on the Rwanda scheme was “absolutely worth it” and the government would “keep those flights going until we stop the boats”.

Speaking during a visit to the small island of Lampedusa – branded Italy’s busiest migration hotspot – James Cleverly said managing borders “has never come for free” and told those wanting to delay the plan there is “nothing moral about allowing people to drown in the sea at the hands of criminals” as he vowed to emulate Italian efforts to tackle migrant crossings.

Parliament passed legislation aimed at getting the government’s plan to give asylum seekers a oneway ticket to Kigali off the ground earlier this week, just hours before news of another tragedy in the Channel when five migrants died trying to make the journey to the UK.

The National Crime Agency has arrested four people in the wake of the deaths.

The prime minister, who has staked his reputation on his pledge to “stop the boats”, has described the Rwanda plan as an “indispensable deterrent”, despite it being plagued by setbacks since the deal was signed two years ago.

The law declares Rwanda is a safe country and seeks to ensure the scheme –ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court – is legally watertight.

Officials are now working to put the plan into action, with Mr Sunak suggesting the first plane carrying asylum seekers could depart in July.

He said an airfield is “on stand-by” and commercial charter planes have been booked “for specific slots”.

But in a report published yesterday, the Refugee Council said: “In reality only a small proportion are ever likely to be removed to their own country or Rwanda”, adding: “The vast majority will be left in permanent limbo in the UK, stranded with their claims never being processed.”

Chief executive Enver Solomon said the charity’s calculations indicate “the immense cost, chaos and human misery that the Illegal Migration Act and Rwanda plan will unleash”.

He added: “It will lead to another entirely avoidable system meltdown.

“Instead of operating an effective and fair asylum system, the government has recklessly brought in this misguided legislation without any apparent thought to its staggering costs and long-term consequences.”

‘MIGRATION HOTSPOT’: A discarded migrant vessel on a beach in the port of Lampedusa, Italy.