Rwanda migrants: Boris Johnson’s plan ‘immoral and impractical’, former Tory cabinet

Christianity has long been used as a political weapon in global powerplay, writes Tim Farron MP.

Read Tim’s full piece below:

Sending migrants to Rwanda will save Britain money in the “longer term”, a minister has argued, despite critics describing the costs involved as “eye-watering”.

Mr Pursglove said: “There is this £120 million payment upfront to establish this partnership and, as we move forward, we will continue to make contributions to Rwanda as they process the cases, in a manner that is similar to the amount of money we are spending on this currently here in the United Kingdom.

“But longer term, by getting this under control, it should help us to save money.

“We are spending £5 million per day accommodating individuals who are crossing in hotels.

“That is not sustainable and is not acceptable and we have to get that under control.”

The prime minister wants to see the first migrants handed a ‘one-way ticket’ to Rwanda flown out in roughly six weeks as the government battles to curb Channel crossings.

Boris Johnson is reportedly keen for the first flight carrying those deemed to have arrived in the UK illegally – including those taking to the water to embark on the perilous journey in small boats – to leave late next month, marking the start of plans to move thousands within the next few years.

Amy Gibbons has more below:

The YouGov survey, conducted within hours of the prime minister’s confirmation of the £120m scheme, found that 42 per cent of those questioned oppose it against just 35 per cent who were supportive.

Our politics editor Andrew Woodcock has the story:

The aim of the government’s Rwanda asylum seeker plan is to help people enjoy “fully prosperous lives”, a government minister has claimed.

Conservative MP Tom Pursglove told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The fact is that when people are transferred to Rwanda, they are under no compulsion to stay there. If they wish to leave and not enter the asylum system there, they are able to do so.

“But what will happen is that people will be processed under the Rwandan asylum system, if they are granted they can remain in Rwanda and what Rwanda want to do is to make sure those people can live fully prosperous and successful lives, and the partnership agreement we’ve got with them will help them to achieve that.”

He said the cost involved for Britain would “very much depend on the volumes of individuals who are being relocated” and “the length of time they spend in the Rwandan asylum system”.

“It is impossible to quantify those figures at the moment because the fact is there are variables at play here that are very relevant to those overall sums of money,” he said, before adding that UK payments to Rwanda will be “pretty equivalent” to what is being spent domestically.

Mr Pursglove said he was “not putting a timescale” on how long the new approach would take to stop Channel small boat crossings from occurring.

The aim is that those transferred to Rwanda and accepted for asylum there will be able to enjoy “fully prosperous” lives, according to a UK Government minister.

Boris Johnson’s multi-million pound deal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda while their claims are processed has been…