Rwanda did not receive any funding to sign new asylum treaty, says James Cleverly
Rwanda has not received any additional funding for the new treaty it has signed to revive the UK government’s asylum plan, the home secretary has said.
James Cleverly told a press conference in the Rwandan capital of Kigali: “Let me make it clear. The Rwandan government has not asked for and we have not provided any funding linked to the signing of this treaty.”
However, Mr Cleverly added that while Rwanda did not ask for money specifically for the treaty, “dealing with migration” was not a “cost-free option”.
“The financial arrangement which inevitably comes as part of an international agreement reflects the costs that may be imposed on Rwanda through the changes that this partnership has created in their systems: in their legal systems and their institutions,” he said.
“No money was asked for by the Rwandans for this treaty. No money was provided to the Rwandans for this treaty.
“Dealing with migration is important and it is not a cost-free option, but we regard it as the right thing to do.”
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Mr Cleverly was responding to questions about reports Rwanda was in line for an additional £15m to secure the treaty – on top of the £140m that has already been committed to the scheme by the UK government.
Under the Rwanda plan, people who arrive in the UK by unauthorised means would be sent to the African country while their asylum claim is processed.
On arrival, people could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay, or apply for sanctuary in another “safe third country”.
The policy has formed a core part of the government’s strategy to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel in the hope it will act as a deterrent.
However, it has been forced to sign the new treaty today after the Supreme Court ruled that the policy was “unlawful” because there was a chance people sent there could be returned to another country where they were at risk of persecution under a process known as “refoulement”, in what would be a breach of international law.
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Cleverly signs new Rwanda deal
Rwanda ‘very much committed’ to deal
After signing the new treaty today, Mr Cleverly told the press conference he felt “very strongly” that the deal “addresses all the issues raised by the Supreme Court”.
“We’ve addressed the issues that were raised by their Lordships in this treaty and that will be reflected in domestic legislation soon because we are absolutely committed to breaking the business model of these people smuggling gangs, to create a safe and welcoming environment with our friends and partners here in Rwanda, but also making sure that mass migration is well-managed into the future,” he said.
Rwanda’s foreign affairs minister Vincent Biruta, sitting alongside Mr Cleverly, said he believed his country had been “unfairly treated” by the courts, international organisations and the media.
But he said his country was “very much committed” to the asylum deal and would remain on board with it even in the event of further setbacks and delays.
“This is the reason why we worked with our colleagues from the UK to address the concerns of the UK Supreme Court,” Mr Biruta said.
He added that while some elements could still be adjusted, “we are committed to the partnership and we don’t have a plan to withdraw from this cooperation”.
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Illegal migrants ‘breaking into our country’
Number 10 moves to clarify fears over family visa salary cap
Mr Cleverly’s visit to Rwanda came just a day after the government launched separate measures to cut legal migration to the UK after recent statistics showed net migration at a record high of 745,000 in 2022.
In a five-point plan outlined in the Commons yesterday, Mr Cleverly said the government would introduce a ban on care workers bringing their families over to the UK and raise the minimum salary required for a skilled worker visa to £38,700 from next spring.
The minimum threshold for a family visa will also be raised to £38,700 to “ensure people only bring dependants whom they can support financially”. Currently, it stands at the 2012 rate of £18,600.
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The increase in salary threshold has sparked concerns that British citizens who are poorer will no longer be able to live with their foreign partners in the UK.
Downing Street sought to assuage the concerns by saying that the minimum income of £38,700 was for a “household as a whole”.
A Number 10 spokesman also said that Britons earning less than £38,700 could still live with their foreign spouses in the UK in “exceptional circumstances”.
“That is just one way that people can demonstrate their ability to support a dependant,” the prime minister’s official spokesman explained. “They can also demonstrate this through their level of savings.”
“If you don’t meet the minimum income requirement, you may also be able to bring a dependant to the UK if you get certain benefits, for example, disability living allowance,” the spokesman added.
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Politics
Richard Rice says Reform UK made ‘right judgement’ to suspend MP over allegations of bullying
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has said it was “right” to suspend the MP at the centre of bullying and threat allegations.
The party announced on Friday that they had reported Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe to police following allegations of bullying made by two women and threats made against Reform’s chair.
Many have questioned the timing of the announcement, as it came the day after Mr Lowe appeared to question Nigel Farage‘s leadership of the party. Mr Lowe has denied all the allegations.
Mr Tice was asked why the incidents have only come to light now, when complaint were made to police in December.
Rupert Lowe denies the allegations against him. Pic: PA
He told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “There’s been a variety of instances and you have to make difficult judgements through the process.
“But of course it’s unfortunate. Of course it’s difficult.
“But there are these allegations of bullying by two separate female members of staff to the parliamentary authorities. Those clearly have to be dealt with in the proper, responsible way.”
He added: “Rupert has been doing some great work on a variety of important issues, but ultimately, if you can’t work with someone, if the situation becomes impossible, which regrettably… then you have to say, this is not going to end well.
“And so we made the right judgement.”
Mr Tice also pointed out that if the party had brushed the incident “under the carpet” or tried to cover it up, then “everyone would’ve been raging”.
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Reform UK row explained
Asked if the situation was “fishy” due to the timing of the party’s pronouncement, Mr Tice strongly disagreed.
“The reality is, behind the scenes, there have been a number of difficulties and challenges, and you get to the point where you say, enough’s enough,” he said.
Mr Farage wrote in the Telegraph overnight, saying the party “did our best to keep a lid on things but, in the end, containment strategies invariably fail”.
Mr Tice said an incident with party chair Zia Yusuf recently was the catalyst for taking action against Mr Lowe.
Mr Lowe has vehemently denied the claims against him, and said he was targeted for challenging the way the party was being run.
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Posting on social media just before Mr Tice’s interview, Mr Lowe said this included his outspoken stance on wanting to deport all illegal migrants.
He said: “I have been warned by those at the top of Reform about my position on deportations. As you likely know from reading my extensive output on the subject, I did not listen to a word said.
“We need deportations, and lots of them.
“I make no apologies for stating that.”
Politics
UK has no plans for conscription – but future decisions will respond to ‘new reality’, says minister
The UK is not considering introducing conscription to ready the country for a potential war – but decisions may be needed in the future to respond to the “new reality” we are now living in, a minister has told Sky News.
In an interview with Trevor Phillips, Latvian President Edgars Rinkeviks has urged European countries to follow his country’s lead and “absolutely” introduce conscription, conceding the continent is “quite weak” militarily.
Politics latest: Calls for European nations to reintroduce conscription
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‘Debate’ in Latvia about introducing conscription for women
Asked if the UK government is considering introducing the measure to boost the armed forces, Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said it is important the UK does not find itself operating under “old assumptions” – and that it may be “decisions are needed in the future that respond to a new reality”.
He told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “We are not considering conscription, but of course we have announced a major increase in defence expenditure.
“We do have to recognise that the world has changed. The phrase ‘step up’ is used a lot. Europe does have to step up in terms of its own defence.
“President Trump isn’t actually the first president to say that, but he said it more loudly and with more force than his predecessors – so, I think we have got to recognise that moment.”
‘UK cannot cling to old assumptions’
He added: “When the world is changing as fast as it is, it’s important that we don’t cling on to old assumptions.
“I think the prime minister has played a tremendous role in recent weeks in responding to that situation and explaining it to the public.
“That is why the decision on increasing defence expenditure was needed.
“It may be why other decisions are needed in the future that respond to a new reality, and that we don’t find ourselves caught operating under the same assumption as we used to in the past when the situation has changed.”
‘Battlefield is changing’
Sir Keir Starmer has promised to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP but has not set out when this will be achieved. Ministers say a defence review to be published this spring will set out a “roadmap” to it.
The number is much lower than the US president has demanded NATO members spend on defence, with Mr Trump saying they should all be spending 5% – an amount last seen during the Cold War.
Asked if the “new reality” involved a bigger army, Mr McFadden said ministers were waiting for the conclusion of the review.
But he added: “One thing is for sure, you would not spend money today on the same things as you would 10 years ago.
“The experience of the three years of the war in Ukraine has shown just how fast the battlefield is changing in terms of cyber, drones, the use of intelligence.”
The Conservatives’ first policy announcement of last year’s general election campaign was that the party would introduce a new form of mandatory National Service for 18-year-olds.
Asked if the Tories still stood by the plan which was in their manifesto, shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “We are obviously not going to write our manifesto now, so I am not going to recommit to things in the previous manifesto.
“We’ll need to do the thinking properly. I am not going to speculate four years ahead of the election.
“I don’t think it was really exactly conscription that was being proposed, it was a National Citizen Service which is a bit different.
“The idea of getting younger people to do voluntary work and perform useful tasks is not a bad idea.”
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‘Right time’ to think about conscription
Last year, Britain’s former top NATO commander told Sky News it was time to “think the unthinkable” and consider introducing conscription.
General Sir Richard Sherriff, ex-deputy supreme allied commander of the military organisation, said: “I think we need to get over many of the cultural hang-ups and assumptions, and frankly think the unthinkable.
“I think we need to go further and look carefully at conscription.”
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