With its planned tightening of asylum laws, the British government wants to push the boundaries of international law. Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who introduced the new law to the House of Commons in London, “will stop the boats bringing tens of thousands to our shores”. “We have pushed the limits of international law to resolve this crisis,” she previously confessed to the Telegraph.
In concrete terms, almost all refugees who arrive illegally must be held in accommodation such as military bases or student dormitories and then expelled to Rwanda or other countries. The right to seek asylum must be taken away from them.
“Enough is enough,” wrote Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in a post in The Sun. “This law will send a clear signal that anyone coming to this country illegally will be rejected.” Indeed, for people fleeing to the UK, there are few legal routes into the country, with few exceptions.
According to The Times, the government should wait for the plan to end up in court, the newspaper said, citing government sources.
Pact with Rwanda already sealed
Great Britain has already concluded a pact with Rwanda and paid the country 140 million pounds (about 160 million euros) for it. Migrants must be able to apply for asylum in Rwanda and – if granted – live there. A return to Britain is not planned. Since the European Court of Human Rights intervened, there have still been no deportation flights from Britain to Rwanda.
There are harsh criticisms from the opposition and human rights activists: Britain has betrayed its obligation under the UN Refugee Convention to give people a fair hearing regardless of their route of arrival, the British Refugee Council has criticized. Labor leader Keir Starmer questioned whether the plans were legal.