What is the new Rwanda plan and why is it controversial?
Rishi Sunak has introduced emergency legislation in a bid to salvage his embattled Rwanda asylum plan and deliver on his pledge to “stop the boats”.
The goal is to ensure those not entering the UK by legal means face being sent on a one-way trip to the east African country.
But last month, the Supreme Court ruled the policy unlawful and could not go ahead as it was, concluding there was a real risk genuine refugees sent to Rwanda could be returned to their home country, where they would face “ill-treatment”.
In a bid to address the concerns, Home Secretary James Cleverly travelled to the country’s capital Kigali to sign a fresh deportation treaty before setting out the details of a proposed bill, which faces its first parliamentary test on Tuesday.
What is the latest Rwanda plan?
It is made up of two parts, aimed at making the deal legally watertight and so avoiding further setbacks, which have so far blocked all deportation flights amid soaring costs of the stalled policy.
The treaty, which needs to be ratified by the UK and Rwandan parliaments to make it internationally binding, centres on providing assurances to the Supreme Court that asylum seekers sent to Rwanda will not be removed and sent to another country where they face persecution.
As part of this, a new appeals process will be established to deal with exceptional cases, such as if someone living in the country under the scheme commits a crime.
British and Commonwealth judges, as well as Rwandan judges, will preside over the appeal hearings and decide whether the individual remains in Rwanda or is sent back to the UK.
Meanwhile, the legislation is designed to enable parliament to confirm Rwanda is a “safe country”.
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Rwanda scheme ‘will do the job’
In a bid to reduce the scope for domestic court hold-ups, the legislation gives ministers the powers to disregard sections of the Human Rights Act, but does not go as far as allowing them to dismiss the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The UK was among the first to ratify the international treaty which commits its 46 signatories to abide by rules on rights to life, liberty and expression, and protection from torture, degrading treatment and slavery.
It is not linked to the European Union, so Brexit did not affect the UK’s obligations.
Why does this matter?
Because Tory hardliners argue without making the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill more robust and allowing ministers to ignore asylum rulings by both domestic judges and the European Court of Human Rights, which makes binding judgments on the convention, the policy is destined to fail.
It led to the resignation of immigration minister Robert Jenrick, who argued the legislation was “a triumph of hope over experience”.
At the same time, centrist Conservative MPs are insisting the government respects the rule of law and the UK’s international obligations.
The public divisions causes a further headache for Mr Sunak as he seeks to take the legislation through parliament and reassert his authority over fractious backbenchers.
Read more:
Whatever happens in Rwanda vote, PM is in deep trouble
What is the European Court of Human Rights?
As well as differing positions on the ECHR, the Conservatives’ poor showing in the polls has heightened the tensions within the party.
A number of Tory MPs believe reducing immigration, and particularly ending the scenes of asylum seekers arriving on Kent’s beaches, will be key to narrowing Labour’s lead and want to see the government do everything possible to achieve that.
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‘My patience has worn thin, right?’
Although the government argues the proposed bill goes as far as it can as the Rwandan government will pull out of a deal that involves leaving the ECHR altogether, ministers have hinted at compromises with rebels.
Is party infighting the only problem facing the government?
No. As well as having to navigate the bill through the Commons, it also has to clear the House of Lords, where the Tory administration does not have a majority.
Any move to relax human rights safeguards are likely to encounter stiff opposition, not least among the many leading lawyers who sit on the red benches.
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The inability of the home secretary to guarantee the proposed law is compatible with the ECHR will only fuel concerns.
As the Rwanda plan was not a manifesto commitment, critics in the unelected chamber will also argue the usual convention of not delaying the delivery of an election pledge does not apply.
With an upcoming election, the timing also means the government cannot use powers under the Parliament Act to force through the legislation.
The Ministry of Defence is being urged to reveal details of a nuclear incident that took place at Faslane naval base earlier this year.
Figures show that a Category A event occurred at HMNB Clyde between 1 January and 22 April.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) defines Category A as the most serious – however, it has claimed the incident was categorised as of “low safety significance” and did not pose a risk to the public or result in any radiological impact to the environment.
HMNB Clyde is based on the banks of Gare Loch at Faslane in Argyll and Bute.
It is the Royal Navy’s headquarters in Scotland and is home to Britain’s nuclear submarines, which includes the Vanguard vessels armed with Trident missiles.
A Vanguard nuclear submarine at HM Naval Base Clyde. Pic: PA
Nuclear Site Event Reports (NSERs) detail incidents at nuclear facilities and are classified based on their safety significance and impact.
Responding to a written question earlier this year by SNP MP Dave Doogan, Maria Eagle, minister for defence procurement and industry, confirmed dozens of incidents at Faslane and nearby RNAD Coulport – the storage and loading facility for the Trident programme.
Nuclear site events (22 April 2024 to 22 April 2025):
• Coulport: 13 Category C and 34 Category D
• Faslane: 1 Category A, 5 Category B, 29 Category C, and 71 Category D
Ms Eagle said she could not provide specific details of the Category A or B incidents “as disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of any relevant forces”.
She assured Mr Doogan that “none of the events caused harm to the health of any member of staff or to any member of the public and none have resulted in any radiological impact to the environment”.
In a letter to Mr Doogan, UK Defence Secretary John Healey said: “I can confirm that all reported events were categorised as of low safety significance.
“In accordance with the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (lNES) significant safety incidents are categorised at the lowest level – level one of seven.
“Incidents that might fall into this category include equipment failures, human error, procedural failings or near misses where no harm [was] caused to the health of any member of naval base staff, any member of the public, or any resultant radiological impact to the environment.”
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In the past week, concerns have been reignited over the environmental and public health impact of the UK’s nuclear weapons programme.
It comes following an investigation by The Guardian and The Ferret, which uncovered radioactive water from RNAD Coulport had leaked into Loch Long due to faulty old pipes back in 2019.
The secrecy battle went on for six years.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) reported the discharges were “of no regulatory concern”, while the MoD said there had been “no unsafe releases of radioactive material” into the environment.
In response to the “catalogue of failures”, the SNP’s deputy leader is calling for an “urgent explanation” from the UK government as to what actually happened at Faslane.
MSP Keith Brown said: “Nuclear weapons are an ever-present danger and this new information is deeply worrying.
“With repeated reports of serious incidents at Faslane and now confirmed radioactive contamination in Loch Long, it’s clear these weapons are not only poorly maintained but are a direct threat to our environment, our communities, and our safety.
“Worse still, the Labour government is refusing to provide any details about the Category A incident.”
The MoD said it was unable to disclose the details of the incidents reported for “national security reasons”, but stressed all were categorised as of “low safety significance”.
A spokesperson for the MoD said: “We place the upmost importance on handling radioactive substances safely and securely.
“Nuclear Site Event Reports demonstrate our robust safety culture and commitment to learn from experience.
“The incidents posed no risk to the public and did not result in any radiological impact to the environment. It is factually incorrect to suggest otherwise.
“Our government backs our nuclear deterrent as the ultimate guarantor of our national security.”
Military Bank, a Vietnamese state-controlled lender, has partnered with the parent company of South Korea’s Upbit exchange, Dunamu, to develop a cryptocurrency exchange.
Spar will launch crypto and stablecoin payments across 300 Swiss supermarkets via Binance Pay and DFX.swiss, marking a retail first for the country.
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