Britain’s Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously ruled that a government plan to ship asylum seekers to the east African country of Rwanda could not be carried out.
The decision was the latest blow to Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who embraced the plan as a get-tough way to deal with the crush of refugees arriving on Britain’s shores as he heads into an election next year.
The Rwanda plan, first proposed under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has been contested from the start.
Mr. Sunak said it would serve as a deterrent for the surging number of asylum seekers making the often dangerous passage across the English Channel hoping to stay in the U.K.
But the British high court upheld a lower court ruling that the risk was too great for applicants forced to return to their country of origin.
Refugee activist groups criticized the scheme, which involved the Rwandan government reportedly receiving more than $175 million from Britain to cover the expenses of taking in the would-be asylum seekers.
Mr. Sunak said after the ruling the government was considering its next steps, including possibly tweaking the handling of refugees sent to Rwanda to address the court’s concerns.
“This was not the outcome we wanted, but we have spent the last few months planning for all eventualities and we remain completely committed to stopping the boats,” he said in a statement. “Crucially, the Supreme Court … has confirmed that the principle of sending illegal migrants to a safe third country for processing is lawful.”
Refugee advocates hailed the decision.
“The plan goes against who we are as a country that stands up for those less fortunate than us and for the values of compassion, fairness and humanity,” said Enver Solomon, chief executive of the British-based Refugee Council. “The government should be focusing on creating a functioning asylum system that allows people who seek safety in the U.K. a fair hearing on our soil and provides safe routes so they don’t have to take dangerous journeys.”
U.K. officials said this summer that more than 100,000 migrants have crossed on small boats from France to southeast England since 2018. In the most notorious of several deadly incidents, 27 would-be asylum seekers drowned in November 2021 after their boat capsized in rough waters in the English Channel.
Hard-liners in Mr. Sunak’s Conservative Party, including just-dismissed former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, have harshly criticized the prime minister’s handling of the issue, saying the government prepared no backup plan in the event the courts would rule as they did.
• David R. Sands can be reached at dsands@washingtontimes.com.