High Court ruling Rwanda deportations are lawful changes nothing for opponents

The High Court has ruled that deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda is lawful, in a verdict that changes nothing for its opponents.

Agreed by former home secretary Priti Patel, the agreement saw the UK Government pay the Rwandan Government £120 million for the scheme that so far has seen no people sent to the country.

Considered inoperable and a distraction from scandal when first announced, even by Government ministers, the policy has sparked fierce criticism from opposition parties and charities.

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Lawyers for several asylum seekers, along with the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) and charities Care4Calais and Detention Action, all argued the plans are unlawful.

Demonstrators outside the Royal Courts of Justice, central London, protesting against the Government's plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.Demonstrators outside the Royal Courts of Justice, central London, protesting against the Government's plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Demonstrators outside the Royal Courts of Justice, central London, protesting against the Government's plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

They were joined by the UN Refugee Agency in arguing the policy risked serious breaches of the Refugee Convention, with people being sent to a country that “tortures and murders those it considers to be its opponents”.

Despite this, Lord Justice Lewis ruled with ministers, saying the Government had made arrangements and kept to the obligations of the Human Rights Act.

However, while this might seem a victory for the UK Government, in reality this verdict will do little to dissuade opponents, and will not see the scheme suddenly work.

Away from the headline verdict, the court also ruled in favour of eight asylum seekers, showing just how hard the Home Office finds it to enact its own policies.

Much like the Supreme Court verdict on independence, this has only served to entrench the views of those who oppose it.

Charities are already set to appeal, knowing more evidence of torture or bad experiences if anyone is ever actually sent to Rwanda will only strengthen the arguments against the policy.

They are supported by almost universal opposition from political parties, with the Liberal Democrats saying whether it was lawful didn’t matter when it was “immoral, ineffective and incredibly costly for taxpayers”.

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For its supporters, there is also the difficult question as to why the number of those braving the Channel to come to Britain has only gone up since the plan was announced.

This was supposed to be a deterrent and so far it has failed. The scheme was set up to show the public the UK Government had solutions. Having won the legal battle, they now face the daunting task of actually making it work.

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