UK could send tens of thousands to Rwanda for resettlement

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain could send tens of thousands of asylum seekers to Rwanda to be resettled.

The remarks set out a harder approach to breaking people-smuggling networks and stemming the flow of migrants across the Channel.

Concerns over immigration were a big factor in the 2016 election, and Mr Johnson has been under pressure to deliver on his promise to take back control of Britain's borders, but his plan has drawn criticism from the opposition and charities.

Johnson said that the only route to asylum in the UK is a safe and legal one.

He was speaking in Kent, south-east England, where thousands of migrants in small boats landed on Channel beaches last year.

Anyone who has arrived illegally in Britain since January 1 could now be relocated to Rwanda, East Africa, which would disrupt the business model of people-smuggling gangs.

He said that the deal we have done is uncapped and Rwanda will have the capacity to resettle tens of thousands of people in the years ahead.

The plan drawn strong criticism from opposition parties, with interior minister Priti Patel's Labour Party counterpart, Yvette Cooper, saying it was costly, unworkable and unethical Concerns were also raised about Rwanda's human rights record, which the British government noted last year.

Johnson said Rwanda was one of the safest countries in the world, but added that the risk of ending up in the country would be a major deterrent over time.

Ms Patel signed a partnership agreement in Kigali on Thursday and presented it at a joint news conference with Rwandan Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta.

Biruta said Rwanda's recent history had given it a deeper connection to the plight of those seeking safety and opportunity in a new country. Rwanda has already accepted more than 130,000 refugees from many countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Afghanistan and Libya.

The Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire said the country was hospitable but it needs to solve its internal problems first.

Johnson said the partnership was fully compliant with international legal obligations, but he said the plan would face legal challenges.

The government would contribute an initial 120 million pounds.

A minister said the plan was focused on single young men.

Simon Hart, Secretary of State for Wales, told Sky News that this is about male economic migrants in the main.

There are a lot of issues with women and children. Opposition MPs said Mr Johnson was trying to distract himself from the renewed calls for him to resign after being fined by police on Tuesday for attending a gathering for his birthday in June 2020 when social mixing was all but banned under COVID 19 rules his government had introduced.

He said that the Royal Navy would take over operational command from the Border Force in the Channel and Greek-style accommodation centres would open in Britain.

The plan violated the principle of granting asylum seekers fair hearings on British soil, according to the head of a refugee advocacy group.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, told BBC radio that the government is obsessed with control rather than focusing on competence and compassion.