“We have noted today’s ruling and will now consider further steps,” Sunak said after the ruling. “This was not the outcome we were hoping for, but we have spent the last few months planning for every eventuality.” In Parliament, the Prime Minister announced that he would review Britain’s international obligations and domestic legislation in light of the decision. According to commentators, this could also affect British membership of the European Convention on Human Rights.
The ruling is a setback for the conservative government. With the Rwanda plan, for which an agreement was concluded with the East African country last year, she wanted to deter migrants from entering the country irregularly in small boats across the English Channel.
Sunak stressed that he was absolutely adamant that the boats had to be stopped. “Illegal migration destroys lives and costs British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. We must stop it and we will do whatever it takes to stop it,” said the Prime Minister’s statement.
The Supreme Court in London had called the government’s plans unlawful, upholding a June appeals court decision. The Supreme Court emphasized that there is a risk that asylum seekers in the East African country will not receive a fair procedure. The court cited, among other things, reports from the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
According to the plans, migrants who arrived irregularly should be able to be deported directly to Rwanda without examining an asylum application and instead apply for protection there. There were no plans to return to Great Britain. The project was met with strong criticism at home and abroad, but also with interest. This was one of the main topics when the then British Interior Minister Suella Braverman visited her counterpart Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) in Vienna at the beginning of November.
