Rishi Sunak had significant doubt over Rwanda plan, papers suggest
Rishi Sunak, during his tenure as Chancellor, reportedly harbored significant reservations about the proposal to send migrants to Rwanda, as per documents reviewed by the BBC.
The papers indicate that he aimed to scale down the initial plans put forth by No 10. Additionally, they reveal Sunak’s uncertainties about the effectiveness of the strategy in curbing Channel crossings.
The documents suggest his reluctance to allocate funds for reception centers, favoring hotels or private housing due to cost considerations.
Despite his earlier reservations, as the current Prime Minister, Sunak has prioritized the Rwanda plan under party pressure.
The initiative, introduced by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April 2022, aimed to process and potentially resettle asylum seekers in Rwanda to discourage Channel crossings.
Sunak, who assumed the role of Prime Minister in October 2022, was Chancellor when the Rwanda policy was initially announced. Legal challenges have caused repeated delays in the implementation of the plan, with no asylum seekers sent from the UK to Rwanda thus far.
The documents, drafted in March 2022 just before finalizing the deal with Rwanda, highlight Sunak’s concerns about the financial implications and his inclination to restrict the initial numbers involved in the scheme.
They say, the “chancellor wants to pursue smaller volumes initially, 500 instead of 1,500” in the first year, and “3,000 instead of 5,000 in years two and three”.
The documents describe a significant difference of view between No 10 and 11 Downing Street on the effectiveness of the proposed scheme saying the chancellor believes the “deterrent won’t work”.
Mr. Sunak is also described as being reluctant to fund so-called “Greek-style reception centers”, sites where migrants could be housed, rather than being put up in hotels which were said to be costing £3.5m a day at that point, the documents suggest.
They say the “chancellor is refusing to fund any non-detained accommodation, eg Greek-style reception centers because hotels are cheaper”.
The documents suggest the Treasury preferred sending migrants to be housed around the country, known as “dispersal”.
The papers also reveal that No 10 suggested Mr Sunak should be told to “consider his popularity with the base” if he was reluctant to sign up to changes to the migration system, including the Rwanda plan.
Despite the proposal being ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court, the prime minister has vowed to change the law so that flights can take off to Rwanda.
Yet the revelations about his doubts over the plan are likely to be awkward, especially as some MPs on the right of his party have urged him to go still further to meet his goal of stopping migrants crossing the Channel, potentially leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
A source close to the prime minister told the BBC: “The prime minister was always fully behind the principle of the scheme as a deterrent.
“As chancellor, it was his job to make sure it delivered and taxpayers’ money was appropriately spent.”
A government source said: “As chancellor, Rishi funded the Rwanda scheme and put it at the heart of his 10-point plan the month after becoming PM.
“Now he is passing the Rwanda Bill following the Supreme Court judgment to get flights off the ground. He is the first prime minister ever to oversee a reduction in small boat crossings, which were down by 36% last year.”
In a statement, Labour MP and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This shows what an utter con the Tories’ Rwanda scheme is and how weak Rishi Sunak has now become.
“The prime minister knew the plan was incredibly costly and wouldn’t work, and resisted it while he was chancellor. But he is so weak he has now agreed to write cheques to Rwanda for £400m without sending a single person there in a desperate attempt to shore up his leadership.
“Whether it be on Rwanda or hotel use, the Tories are continually going for gimmicks rather than ever getting a grip.
“It’s time they gave up on this sorry charade and adopted Labour’s plan to go after the criminal smuggling gangs, negotiating a new security deal with Europe to better protect our borders and set up a new returns unit to ensure those with no right to be in the UK are removed swiftly.”
