THE UK Government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda has been condemned by church leaders as it emerged officials warned it may not have the desired “deterrent effect”.
An exchange of letters published by the Home Office showed the department’s top official told Priti Patel that although it was “regular, proper and feasible for this policy to proceed”, there was “uncertainty surrounding the value for money of the proposal”.
Telling the Home Secretary he would need her explicit instruction to proceed, Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft said: “I do not believe sufficient evidence can be obtained to demonstrate that the policy will have a deterrent effect significant enough to make the policy value for money.
“This does not mean that the (measures) cannot have the appropriate deterrent effect; just that there is not sufficient evidence for me to conclude that it will.”
Ordering her department to proceed regardless in a rare “ministerial direction”, Ms Patel said it would be “imprudent” in her view “to allow the absence of quantifiable and dynamic modelling - which is inevitable when developing a response to global crises influenced by so many geopolitical factors such as climate change, war and conflict - to delay delivery of a policy that we believe will reduce illegal migration, save lives, and ultimately break the business model of the smuggling gangs”.
She added that “without action, costs will continue to rise, lives will continue to be lost”.
Earlier this week, the UK Government said people deemed to have entered Britain illegally since January 1 could be sent 4,000 miles to Rwanda to apply for asylum there instead.
The measures, which have been condemned by opposition parties, charities and some senior Tories, were also seen as a bid to distract from Boris Johnson’s other worries.
In his Easter sermon today, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said “sub-contracting out our responsibilities, even to a country that seeks to do well, like Rwanda, is the opposite of the nature of God who himself took responsibility for our failures”.
He said there were “serious ethical questions about sending asylum seekers overseas”.
He said: “The details are for politics. The principle must stand the judgment of God, and it cannot. It cannot carry the weight of resurrection justice, of life conquering death. It cannot carry the weight of the resurrection that was first to the least valued, for it privileges the rich and strong.”
He was echoed by the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, who used his Easter Sunday sermon at York Minster to say he found the policy “depressing and distressing”.
He said: “We can do better than this. We can do better than this because of what we see in Jesus Christ, the risen Christ, with a vision for our humanity where barriers are broken down, not new obstacles put in the path.
“After all, there is in law no such thing as an illegal asylum seeker. It is the people who exploit them that we need to crack down on, not our sisters and brothers in their need. We don’t need to build more barriers and cower in the darkness of the shadows they create.
“Do we want to continue to be known as a country that opens proper, legitimate pathways for all who flee violence, conflict and oppression, not just those from Ukraine, but also those fleeing other conflicts and the effect of climate change?”
Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested the Archbishop of Canterbury didn't understand the policy.
He told BBC Radio's The World This Weekend: "I think he misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve, and that it isn’t an abandonment of responsibility, it is in fact a taking on of a very difficult responsibility.
“The problem that is being dealt with is that people are risking their lives in the hands of people traffickers, to get into this country illegally. Now, it’s not the illegal bit of it, it is the encouragement of people traffickers that needs to be stopped.”
He said “90% of people coming are young men who by coming via people traffickers are jumping the queue for others”.
Mr Rees-Mogg added: “They are in doing so not only risking their lives but supporting organised crime. What we need to do is focus on legal routes into this country of which there are quite a number.”
“What is being done is providing an opportunity for Rwanda because it will provide Rwanda, a country that needs support and has gone through terrible troubles… and the Rwandan story is almost an Easter story of redemption, isn’t it?
“Of a country that suffered the most appalling and horrific genocide and is now recovering and therefore the UK supporting it must be a good thing.
“It helps people come through legitimate routes and I think the aim of the policy – within Christianity intention is always very important – and the intention of the Government is to do good.
“It is to help those in genuine need of asylum and to make it harder for crime to prosper, and that I think, is fundamentally important.”
The SNP said the plan was “abhorrent” and a “cataclysmic waste of taxpayers’ money”.
SNP home affairs spokesperson Stuart McDonald MP said the policy was “utterly shameful and will only add to the pain and suffering being felt by those fleeing their homeland”.
He said: “Every single person making the perilous journey across the English Channel should be treated with dignity and compassion - something this Tory government are completely devoid of.
“However, not only is this morally wrong - it is a cataclysmic waste of taxpayers’ money.
“At a time when all four nations are facing the brunt of a Tory-made cost of living crisis, it beggars belief that the UK government are willing to spend hundreds of millions, rising to billions, on an abhorrent policy that achieves nothing in return.
“Instead, Boris Johnson and his Tory government should follow Scotland’s lead and use this money to put cash into the pockets of families which, in turn, will help lift thousands of children out of poverty.
“Scotland has a strong and proud record of welcoming refugees and will continue to stand by and offer sanctuary to those who need it.
“However, for as long as we find ourselves chained to an outdated, dysfunctional Westminster system, we will continue to be associated with these hostile policies.
“Only with the full powers of independence can Scotland introduce a more compassionate asylum system for those seeking safety on these shores.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has a proud history of supporting those in need of protection and our resettlement programmes have provided safe and legal routes to better futures for hundreds of thousands of people across the globe.
“However, the world is facing a global migration crisis on an unprecedented scale and change is needed to prevent vile people smugglers putting people’s lives at risk and to fix the broken global asylum system.
“Rwanda is a fundamentally safe and secure country with a track record of supporting asylum seekers. Under this agreement, they will process claims in accordance with the UN Refugee Convention, national and international human rights laws.”
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