Rishi Sunak has made a commitment to prevent foreign courts from hindering Britain’s ability to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda. However, some Conservative MPs with more moderate views are urging him not to forsake Britain’s obligations to uphold international human rights standards.
On Friday, the prime minister expressed frustration over the delays to the Rwanda plan, which was deemed unlawful by the supreme court last month. His patience is wearing thin.
As members of the Tory party continued to publicly debate the UK’s decision to override the European Convention on human rights, the prime minister stated that he would not allow international judges to impede the plan.
During the Cop summit in Dubai, Sunak addressed the media and stated that there should be no further hindrances in implementing this program domestically. However, he also emphasized that he will not tolerate any foreign court stopping flights from departing. He expressed his frustration with the situation and acknowledged that the British people are also becoming impatient.
Conservative hardliners, including the former home secretary Suella Braverman have put heavy pressure on the prime minister to overrule or even abandon Britain’s commitments to the ECHR and the UN refugee convention in an attempt to start flights to Rwanda.
A different faction of moderates is advising the prime minister to resist these requests, emphasizing the significance of adhering to global laws.
Over 20 members of the centrist One Nation group of Tory MPs have sent a letter to the prime minister, cautioning him against backing out of Britain’s international commitments.
Damian Green, the former immigration minister, was one of nearly 30 MPs to sign the letter, which was first reported by the Financial Times. He said: “We want Britain to meet its international obligations and defend the rule of law.”
According to Sir Bob Neill, the Conservative leader of the Commons justice committee, there is a growing concern among Conservative voters in traditional constituencies about challenging the country’s institutions and a desire to honor the treaties that have been agreed upon.
During a recent interview with the Times, James Cleverly, who took over as home secretary after Braverman, expressed understanding for the viewpoints of centrist MPs.
“He stated that he is not willing to take any actions that could harm the important partnerships we have with countries that strongly support the European Convention on Human Rights for valid reasons. There are consequences to every decision, so careful evaluation of both the benefits and drawbacks is necessary.”
Sunak is currently focused on creating laws within his own country and negotiating a fresh agreement with Rwanda. He aims to address the issues brought up by the supreme court in the previous month. The judges cautioned that the current plan puts individuals at risk of being returned to their home countries, despite their successful asylum applications.
According to Braverman, a potential solution for the UK to ensure the safety of asylum seekers in Rwanda is to establish a new treaty. However, recent reports indicate that Kigali may not be as receptive to this idea due to public backlash against its current asylum system.
On Friday, Sunak stated that a new pact with Rwanda and updated laws within the country were nearing completion.
“We are currently in the process of finalizing that,” he stated. “It is crucial that we ensure accuracy as this is an extremely important matter.”
Source: theguardian.com
