Liz Truss defends Rwanda asylum scheme as ‘completely legal and moral’
Priti Patel has told of her disapointment that the first deportation flight to Rwanda will no longer take off, but said tonight’s legal defeats will not prevent her from “doing the right thing.”
The home secretary added: “Our legal team are reviewing every decision made on this flight and preparation for the next flight begins now.”
A spokesperson for the Rwandan government has similarly said it will not be deterred by Tuesday’s successful legal bids.
“Rwanda remains fully committed to making this partnership work,” Yolande Makolo said, adding: “Rwanda stands ready to receive the migrants when they do arrive and offer them safety and opportunity in our country.”
Their remarks follow a series of succesful, eleventh-hour interventions by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which saw all migrants bound for the African country removed from the plane at Boscombe Down, near Salisbury.
The appeals were considered by an out-of-hours judge on papers, PA agency understands, who overruled the UK rulings.
It is also understood that, at present , there is not a route for the Home Office to appeal against the decision.
Government hired grounded jet because it ‘just wants row and someone else to blame’
The government has spent £120m on a deal with Rwanda and hired a plane that was grounded at the last minute “because they just want a row and someone else to blame”, the shadow home secretary has said.
Posting on Twitter, Yvette Cooper added:”There is no point in Govt blaming anyone else but themselves. Ministers are pursuing a policy they know isn’t workable & that won’t tackle criminal gangs.”
Watch: Rwanda deportation flight called off at last minute after European judges intervene
Government must stop ‘inhumane’ Rwanda policy, says union
Responding to the news of today’s sucessful legal bids, Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services union, said: “We’re pleased the courts have ruled to stop this flight.
“It’s time for the government to stop this inhumane policy which is the basest of gesture politics and start to engage seriously with sorting out the asylum system so those who come to our country seeking refuge are treated fairly and according to the law.”
‘Send you to Rwanda’ emerging as new racist slur on social media, public figures warn
London mayor Sadiq Khan, home secretary Priti Patel, Labour MP Diane Abbott and campaigner Femi Oluwole, among numerous others, have been targeted by online users suggesting that they should be removed from Britain and flown to the east African country.
Discussing the trend, Sunder Katwala, director of think tank British Future, pointed out that the slur was also being used by both left- and right-leaning commentators against people they disagree with or dislike, with those from ethnic minorities being disproportionately targeted.
Our race correspondent Nadine White reports:
Here is some of the latest reaction on Twitter to the grounding of the plane that was bound for Rwanda today:
Government ‘determined’ to press on with Rwanda plan
The grounding of tonight’s deportation flight to Rwanda is “indicative of the inhumanity of the plan” and the government’s “complete refusal to see the face behind the case,” the Refugee Council has said.
Chief executive Enver Solomon added: “Whilst we are relieved to hear the flight to Rwanda did not take off as planned tonight, it is clear that the government remain determined to press on with this deal – leaving us to continue to witness the human suffering, distress, and chaos the threat of removal will cause with far reaching consequences for desperate people who are simply in need of safety.
‘Preparation for next flight begins now’, says Patel
Priti Patel has told of her disapointment that the flight to Rwanda will no longer take off, but said tonight’s legal defeats will not deter her from “doing the right thing.”
The home secretary added: “Our legal team are reviewing every decision made on this flight and preparation for the next flight begins now.”
London mayor condemns ‘cruel and callous’ Rwanda policy
Rwanda deportation flight called off at last minute after European judges intervene
The flight that was scheduled to deport the first refugees to Rwanda will not take off following a series of eleventh-hour interventions by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
All migrants have been removed from the plane at Boscombe Down, near Salisbury, government sources have confirmed.
More follows as we have it:
