Sunak and Austrian leader agree ‘Rwanda style model’ needed to tackle illegal migration in Europe

Published

1 year ago

May 21, 2024

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Rishi Sunak said he and Austria’s leader are “deepening co-operation” on illegal migration as they agreed schemes like the Rwanda plan are needed to tackle the issue in Europe.

The prime minister met Chancellor Karl Nehammer in Vienna on Tuesday, following an announcement that the UK government will give an extra £25m to the National Crime Agency to help tackle people smuggling gangs.

However, the main thrust of the trip was to promote the use of third country deportation schemes – such as the government’s Rwanda plan.

Following a “warm meeting” with Mr Nehammer, Mr Sunak said the pair “see eye-to-eye on many of the big challenges before us”, including Ukraine and the Middle East.

He said they discussed illegal migration, which “has become truly one of the defining issues of our time”.

The prime minister congratulated his Austrian counterpart on his leadership on illegal migration “because he’s been right on this issue for a long time, and has led the charge in Europe”.

They committed to “deepening our cooperation to end this vile trade” and said there is a need to “think creatively… like the UK’s pioneering Rwanda scheme”.

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The pair met after 15 EU countries, including Austria, signed a letter calling on the European Commission to tighten migration policy and to look at third country schemes.

“It’s increasingly clear that many other countries now agree that that is the approach that is required – bold, novel, looking at safe country partnerships,” Mr Sunak said.

Mr Nehammer said having safe asylum proceedings in safe third countries could “save human lives” by eradicating smuggling routes, and it is “something we need to put on the EU’s agenda as well”.

The number of people who have crossed the Channel in small boats to the UK this year has reached nearly 10,000.

The government has now passed its legislation to deport asylum seekers to the African nation, but flights are not expected to start taking off until early July – and more legal challenges could also be launched.

Labour has branded the scheme an “expensive gimmick” and promised to scrap it if the party wins the next general election.

However, Home Secretary James Cleverly said the government was still “determined to operationalise Rwanda as part of the measures to protect our borders”.

Last year, the UK and Austria signed a “migration and security agreement” to work more closely on the issue, with the country keen to create its own third country scheme to address rising crossings in the Mediterranean.

However, unlike the UK’s Rwanda scheme, asylum seekers would be allowed to return to Austria if their applications were successful.

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MP Zarah Sultana who was ousted from Labour announces she is starting new political party with Jeremy Corbyn

Published

3 hours ago

July 3, 2025

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MP Zarah Sultana who was ousted from Labour announces she is starting new political party with Jeremy Corbyn

An MP who was ousted from the Labour Party has announced she is setting up a new political party with Jeremy Corbyn.

Independent MP Zarah Sultana said she and the former Labour leader will co-lead the new party, which she did not provide a name for.

She said other independent MPs, campaigners and activists from across the country will join them, but did not name anyone.

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Ms Sultana also said she was “resigning” from the Labour Party after 14 years.

She was suspended as a Labour MP shortly after they came to power last summer for voting against the government maintaining the two-child benefit cap.

Several others from the left of the party, including Mr Corbyn, were also suspended for voting against the government, and also remained as independent MPs.

However, Ms Sultana was still a member of the Labour Party – until now.

Mr Corbyn has previously said the independent MPs who were suspended from Labour would “come together” to provide an “alternative.

The other four are: Iqbal Mohamed, Shockat Adam, Ayoub Khan and Adnan Hussain.

Mr Corbyn and the other four independents have not said if they are part of the new party Ms Sultana announced.

In her announcement, Ms Sultana said she would vote to abolish the two-child benefit cap again and also voted against scrapping the winter fuel payment for most pensioners.

Ms Sultana also voted against the government’s welfare bill this week, which was heavily watered down as Sir Keir Starmer tried to prevent a major rebellion from his own MPs.

On Wednesday, Ms Sultana spoke passionately against Palestine Action being proscribed as a terror organisation – but MPs eventually voted for it to be.

She said to proscribe it is “a deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalise solidarity and suppress the truth”.

Ms Sultana said they were founding the new party because “Westminster is broken but the real crisis is deeper – just 50 families now own more wealth than half the UK population”.

She called Reform leader Nigel Farage “a billionaire-backed grifter” leading the polls “because Labour has completely failed to improve people’s lives.

The MP, who has spoken passionately about Gaza, added: “Across the political establishment, from Farage to Starmer, they smear people of conscience trying to stop a genocide in Gaza as terrorists.

“But the truth is clear: this government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it.

“We are not going to take this anymore.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “In just 12 months, this Labour government has boosted wages, delivered an extra four million NHS appointments, opened 750 free breakfast clubs, secured three trade deals and four interest rate cuts lowering mortgage payments for millions.

“Only Labour can deliver the change needed to renew Britain.”