Britain's government planned to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers who arrived on their shores to Rwanda.The ruling is a huge blow for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has made the issue a political priority.
Under a deal struck last year, Britain's government planned to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers who arrive on its shores more than 6,400 kilometres to the East African country.During the 2022 election campaign, then-Australian prime minister Scott Morrison gestured to the UK deal as evidence of his government’s border policy success, saying that “other countries are taking their lead from Australia’s successful approach”.
In December, the High Court ruled the policy was lawful, but that decision was challenged by asylum seekers from several countries and human rights organisations. "The deficiencies in the asylum system in Rwanda are such that there are substantial grounds for believing that there is a real risk that persons sent to Rwanda will be returned to their home countries where they face persecution or other inhumane treatment," Judge Ian Burnett said.Why these asylum seekers are warning the UK not to copy Australia's offshore processing system