LONDON: Three asylum seekers who moved the court seeking action to block the UK’s attempt to send them to Rwanda had their cases resolved on Tuesday after the new Labour government dropped the plan.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday announced that the migrant deportation plan formulated by the ousted Conservative government was dead and buried.
There had already been legal challenges to the migrant scheme, with the UK Supreme Court in November last year ruling that it was illegal under international law as Rwanda could not be taken as a safe country for asylum seekers.
Government lawyer James Eadie told the High Court in London on Tuesday that in connection with the three complainants, their cases will be fully disposed of and withdrawn.
The Labour Party before the general election vowed to ditch the scheme, which the Tories said would deter huge numbers of migrants trying to reach the UK on small boats from northern France.
65 people were brought ashore on Monday the first under the new Labour government taking the total number of arrivals to 13,639 in this year so far.
Rwanda, which is home to 13 million people in Africa, claims to be one of the most stable nations on the continent and has drawn praise for its modern infrastructure.
But according to the rights groups veteran President Paul Kagame is ruling in a climate of fear and has stopped free speech in the country.
A spokesman for his government on Monday said that Rwanda takes note of the decision of the UK government to drop the Migration and Economic Development Partnership Agreement.
As part of the agreement, the UK has already paid some £240 million to Rwanda, with a further £50 million scheduled to be sent later.
