Rwanda refuses to give Britain a penny back of axed £270m migrant scheme

Britain will not get a penny back of the £270 million paid to Rwanda after Sir Keir Starmer axed deportation flights to Kigali.

Dr Doris Uwicyeza Picard, from the Rwandan ministry of justice, said the east African nation is under “no obligation to provide any refund” after ramping up capacity to accommodate “thousands of migrants”.

The UK has given Rwanda around £270 million but no migrant has been ordered onto a deportation flight.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer declared the scheme “dead and buried before it started”, insisting it had “never been a deterrent” to those hoping to cross the Channel.

But Dr Uwicyeza Picard, in a thinly veiled barb aimed at Sir Keir, said: “Rwanda has maintained its side of the agreement and we have ramped up capacity to accommodate thousands of migrants and asylum seekers. We have upheld our end of the deal.

“We have put a lot of effort and resources to accommodate those migrants.

“We understand that changes in government happen and incoming governments have different priorities and different policies. However, this was a state to state agreement and we believe this good faith will remain.”

Labour says that scrapping the Rwanda scheme will free up £75 million in the first year of a Labour government to set up a new Border Security Command with Border Force, MI5 and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to crack down on people smuggling gangs.

Dr Uwicyeza Picard added to the BBC World Service: “We are under no obligation to provide any refund. We will remain in constant discussions. However, it is understood that there is no obligation on either side to request or receive a refund.”

“We were informed of the UK’s decision. We take note of the UK’s decision to terminate the agreement.

“We just want to reiterate that this was a partnership initiated by the UK to solve a UK problem and Rwanda stepped up as we have always stepped up in the past to provide safety, refuge and opportunities to migrants.”

The UK had already paid £220m to the Rwandan Government since April 2022, with further annual payments of £50m originally scheduled for the next three years. The first of these additional payments was made several months ago.

This would have amounted to a total of £370m over five years.

If more than 300 people were eventually sent to Kigali, the UK would pay a one-off sum of £120m into the fund, with further payments of £20,000 per individual relocated.

Under a break clause in the agreement, Britain can withdraw from two further payments of £50 million in 2025 and 2026 without any penalty but it is likely the Government will have to continue to fund the four asylum seekers flown to Kigali.

The Home Office said it had scheduled a flight for July 24.

A spokesman for Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This demonstrates a scandalous lack of care for taxpayer’s money – hundreds of million of pounds wasted on a gimmick that only saw four people removed in over two years. Imagine what that money could have done if it had been channelled into boosting Britain’s border security?

“Enough is enough. A Labour Government will invest in our border security with a new Border Security Command with hundreds of enforcement officers and investigators working across Europe to smash the criminal smuggling gangs making vast profit from small boat crossings.”

The revelation comes as three asylum seekers who brought legal action over their potential removals to Rwanda have had their cases resolved at the High Court.

Lawyers for three people, who cannot be named, appeared at the London court for what was due to be full challenges against decisions paving the way for the individuals' removals to Rwanda.

Sir James Eadie KC, for the Home Office, said: "In relation to the three named claimants these claimants' cases will be fully disposed of and withdrawn subject to the Secretary of State paying their costs."

In written submissions, the barrister said that claims of people affected by the Rwanda policy "will be considered in a manner consistent with the new Government's new asylum policy".

Sir James continued: "That asylum policy does not involve removals to Rwanda."