"Yes, all sensible people thought the Rwanda Scheme was the best scheme dreamed up by any government for decades"What, better than the Health Act that has improved public exposure to smoking? The Health Act 2006 is the landmark legislation that made virtually all enclosed public places, workplaces, and work vehicles in England and Wales legally smoke-free. It legally prohibits smoking tobacco or any other substance inside these environments."With the Rwanda scheme every one of those illegal immigrants would have been shipped immediately to the safe haven, Rwanda for professional processing whilst being housed and fed" - really? That's where I think the flaw with your unrestrained enthusiasm for the Rwanda scheme as being the cure all for all our immigration woes can be found. The Rwanda scheme didn't have the capacity to allow this to have happened."There was no cap on how many people the UK could have relocated to Rwanda. However, the then Conservative government had not been clear about how many removals could realistically have been expected. News reports said that the numbers sent to Rwanda would initially be low, with Rwanda suggesting it would take 1,000 asylum seekers in the five-year trial period. Small numbers were consistent with the recent capacity of Rwanda’s asylum system to process claims. The Conservative government’s May 2022 review of Rwanda’s asylum system shows that in 2020, the country made 228 decisions on asylum claims. In the same year, the UK made around 19,000 asylum decisions. However, the December 2023 treaty expanded the deal so that people who do not apply for asylum or are not recognised as refugees will still get permanent residence in Rwanda. If people relocated there do not apply for asylum, this would lessen the burden on Rwanda’s asylum system.""Small boat arrivals made up 41% of all people applying for asylum in the UK in 2025, a similar share to the preceding four years. The total number of people claiming asylum in the UK has increased sharply since 2020, reaching 101,000 in 2025, close to the record level of 2024 (Figure 2). Only part of this growth is explained by people crossing the Channel by small boat. Data show that a large proportion of asylum seekers – 39% of those applying in 2025 – travelled to the UK legally on a work, study, visitor, or other visa."The chances of ending up in Rwanda would have been pretty low. Indeed, given there was a proposal to pay people to agree to go to Rwanda, some people might think that paying a grand or two to get to the UK in a boat, with a potential offer of a financial return of many times your initial outlay would be worth the risk.
Andrew Jones ● 5d