However, Home Secretary Suella Braverman speaking to the BBC today has refused to commit to a specific date for achieving this goal, citing an ongoing legal challenge over the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Under this plan, people who arrive in the UK through illegal routes could be sent to Rwanda to claim asylum there.
The High Court ruled the plan was legal in December, but the decision is currently going through an appeals process.
The government has not publicly committed to a timeframe for implementing the plan. Labour’s shadow communities secretary has criticised the Rwanda policy, calling it “a con trick being perpetrated on the British people” and claiming it has cost taxpayers a significant amount of money without any tangible results.
The Liberal Democrats have also criticised Ms. Braverman’s comments, suggesting that they show the Rwanda plan is “unworkable” and “on hold.”
The UK government has introduced new legislation that would require the home secretary to detain and remove individuals who arrive in the UK illegally to Rwanda or another “safe” third country.
The legislation still needs to be approved by MPs and peers. The home secretary believes that the plans would deter people from making the journey across the Channel. However, there are concerns about the safety of Rwanda as a destination country, and evidence from the United Nations refugee agency indicates that it may not be entirely safe.
The home secretary asserts that Rwanda is safe and that the government’s arrangements are lawful, and the legislation provides provisions for individuals to challenge the decision to send them to Rwanda in extreme circumstances.
The home secretary would not repeat her previously stated hope of getting legal immigration under 100,000, citing tension in the cabinet over what is realistic. The home secretary notes that large numbers of immigrants put pressure on housing, schools, and health services, but the government needs to ensure that it allows highly skilled workers to come and help various sectors in the economy thrive.
