Rishi Sunak to give Rwanda press conference this afternoon after plan ruled unlawful
Rishi Sunak will hold a Downing Street press conference in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Government’s Rwanda policy is unlawful.
The Prime Minister will address the media at 4.45pm on Wednesday as he attempts to spell out how his administration will meet its promise to stop the small boats crossings on the Channel.
Responding to the Supreme Court judgement, Mr Sunak said: “We have seen today’s judgment and will now consider next steps.
“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.
“Crucially, the Supreme Court – like the Court of Appeal and the High Court before it – has confirmed that the principle of sending illegal migrants to a safe third country for processing is lawful. This confirms the Government’s clear view from the outset.
And he added: “Illegal migration destroys lives and costs British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. We need to end it and we will do whatever it takes to do so.
“Because when people know that if they come here illegally, they won’t get to stay then they will stop coming altogether, and we will stop the boats.”
Mr Sunak must now consider how he intends to rework his flagship small boats policy, with speculation mounting that he will seek to strike further deals with other third countries that are deemed safe and will not fall foul of the Supreme Court.
The challenge facing the Prime Minister is securing deals that will want to sign up to the UK’s plan to offload migrants who have entered the UK through unofficial routes.
He must also contend with growing voices from the right of his party, who will be demanding he take a tougher stance on small boat crossings, including those who believe the UK should turn back boats and tow them back into French waters.
Pressure is also likely to grow on the Government to pull out of the European Convention of Human Rights, or to tweak legislation to ensure human rights laws do not act as a brake on the Home Office’s plans.
