"Enough is enough...No more delay": UK PM Sunak promises Rwanda deportation flights in 10-12 weeks
Apr 23, 2024
London [United Kingdom], April 23 : UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, in a strong message, has announced that there will now, be no delay in the flights to Rwanda and has promised to start sending asylum seekers there within 10 to 12 weeks, according to Al Jazeera.
In an attempt to turn around his Conservative Party's declining prospects ahead of an election later this year, Sunak announced that the government had hired commercial charter planes to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
"No ifs, no buts. These flights are going to Rwanda," Sunak told a news conference.
The UK Parliament has recently passed the contentious bill on Monday, allowing the government to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for their claims to be considered by the East African nation.
"Enough is enough. No more prevarication. No more delay," Sunak told reporters, and added that he envisaged "multiple" flights a month over the summer months.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's efforts to pass the bill had been stuck between opposition in the Houses of Parliament and challenges in the British courts, as lawmakers and activists have sought to scupper the legislation on human rights grounds.
Moreover, Sunak's inability to implement the policy has caused considerable embarrassment, as the British government has sent millions of pounds to Rwanda to fund a scheme that has failed to deliver any results to date, CNN reported.
It has been designed to prevent irregular migration into the UK, particularly people travelling on illegal and dangerous small boats from France, arranged by criminal gangs.
Meanwhile, in theory, the legislation will see some landing in the UK sent to Rwanda where their asylum claim will be considered. If their claim is accepted, they will stay in Rwanda. If it is declined, the bill says they cannot be deported by Rwanda to anywhere other than the UK, though it is unclear what would ultimately happen in this scenario.
