The Home Office has misplaced 17,000 individuals whose asylum requests were retracted.

The Home Office’s admission that it is unaware of the location of 17,000 individuals whose asylum requests have been retracted has led to accusations that Rishi Sunak has failed to manage the UK’s borders effectively.

The Conservative MP and deputy party chair, Lee Anderson, scolded senior civil servants in the department for their lack of answers regarding refugees seeking shelter in the UK and the removal of foreign offenders. This comes amidst a problematic deportation plan for Rwanda and increasing expenses for housing refugees in hotels.

His remarks were made public one hour prior to the leader of the Labour party, Keir Starmer, accusing the prime minister of being in the midst of a “rebellion” from the Conservative party after “lack of control over the borders.”

During a gathering of the home affairs select committee, Tim Loughton, a member of the Conservative party, inquired about the reason behind the withdrawal of 17,316 asylum claims in the period up to September 2023 and whether the Home Office was aware of the whereabouts of the individuals who had previously made these claims.

Simon Ridley, the temporary second permanent secretary at the Home Office, stated that it was not a coincidence. He explained that while handling numerous older cases, there were some individuals who had escaped at that particular time.

When asked by Loughton, Ridley stated that he was unsure of the whereabouts of the 17,316 individuals. He replied, “No, I don’t believe we have that information.”

Sir Matthew Rycroft, the permanent secretary of the Home Office, informed Members of Parliament that officials were currently in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, finalizing a new immigration agreement following the supreme court’s decision to reject the government’s initial deal.

The committee inquired about the additional amount that UK taxpayers would need to contribute to the scheme, as £140m has already been given to the Rwandan government since April 2022.

Rycroft stated that there was potential for further payments, but did not disclose whether any additional payments had been made. He explained that the decision to withhold this information until the department’s annual report in the summer was made by ministers.

When asked about the Home Office’s impact assessment, which stated that the cost for each deported person was £169,000, Rycroft acknowledged that this was the figure presented in the document. However, he also stated that the Home Office did not consider it to be accurate due to the fact that it was based on estimations.

The individual also declared that they lacked a specific number for the amount of Rwandan citizens the government may need to accommodate through a provision in the agreement. Additionally, they were unable to provide information about potential alternative solutions in the event that the Rwandan deal was not feasible.

After discussing the issue of Channel crossings and the deportation of rejected asylum seekers from the United Kingdom, Rycroft and Ridley were unable to provide specific answers during their conversations with the committee. In response, Dame Diana Johnson, the committee chair, inquired if there were any available statistics on the matter.

I am amazed that the CEO is completely unaware, not only about this specific question, but also about almost every other question we have asked today. What is the reason for this?

“Rycroft responded that Mr. Ridley is searching for the numbers and they will be sent to you.”

During the prime minister’s questions, Starmer remarked that Sunak had a negative impact on everything he touches, similar to the story of King Midas. He also criticized the government for failing to address the issue of migration, while Sunak lectured the House on setting targets. Starmer accused the prime minister of being out of touch with reality and suggested that it must be a daunting experience for the opposing members to hear him claim that he can solve problems.

The leader of the Labour party mentioned that the ex-home secretary Suella Braverman had claimed that Sunak broke his promise to her about implementing stricter immigration policies in return for her backing in the 2022 Conservative leadership race.

He also emphasized that immigration minister Robert Jenrick stated in the House of Commons on Tuesday that he wished more stringent immigration reforms could have been implemented last year.

The minister in charge of immigration believes that the prime minister is not succeeding due to the fact that no one is paying attention to his undisclosed strategy. The previous home secretary believes that he is failing because of his unrealistic beliefs. The current home secretary, James Cleverly, also believes that he is failing.

“The prime minister seems to be the only person on the Tory benches without his own personal immigration plan. Cleary his own side don’t have any faith in him. Why should the public?”

Sunak stood up for his accomplishments and asserted that the most aggressive measures to decrease legal immigration have not yet been fully experienced.

Source: theguardian.com