The previous British government spent far more than previously announced on a contentious plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, it was announced on Monday. The policy, which called for sending asylum seekers to the African nation for processing and resettlement, was championed by successive Conservative prime ministers as their flagship plan to tackle irregular migration. But no asylum seekers were ever deported to Rwanda under the initiative. Four people were put on planes to the central African nation this year, but they were asylum seekers who went voluntarily after being offered £3,000 each. The policy cost the government some £700 million, or just over $900 million, Britain’s new home secretary, Yvette Cooper, told Parliament on Monday.

Source: The Times July 22, 2024 19:58 UTC