UK to pay Rwanda £2m per person to relocate 300 people

British taxpayers would give Rwanda up to £600m to relocate 300 people to the east African nation under the controversial deportation deal, a report by the public spending watchdog shows.

The figure amounts to £2m per asylum seeker if all 300 stay in Rwanda for five years and receive support from the UK, as envisaged in the Government’s troubled deal with the east African nation.

The “staggering” and “extortionate” cost of the scheme, including £11,000 for each asylum seeker’s plane ticket, after it was first announced, is laid bare for the first time in a report by the National Audit Office.

It found that the Government has already committed to paying Rwanda £370m, far above the £240m previously thought, and has agreed to pay another £120m once the first 300 asylum seekers are sent to the country.

On top of that, an extra £20,000 will be paid to Rwanda for every asylum seeker relocated there.

The Home Office will also hand Kigali nearly £151,000 per person to cover asylum processing and integration costs, such as accommodation, food, healthcare and education, over five years if they stay in the country.

If they decide to leave, the UK would halt payments for that person, but would still give Rwanda a one-off £10,000 to help facilitate their departure.

The UK also expects to spend £28m on set-up costs, £12.6m on training escorts for deportations next year, as well as £1m a year on staff costs.

Put together this means the UK will pay more than £600m if 300 people are sent to Rwanda as planned and stay for five years, although the Home Office assumes 10 per cent will voluntarily leave the country.

The research, carried out by the NAO at the request of MPs after the Home Office refused to reveal the costs of the scheme to parliamentary committees, also found that the department has recognised it may need to use “non-commercial” airlines and airports to deport people, in a suggestion that military assets could be requested.

The initial five-year UK-Rwanda deal runs to April 2027, with payments potentially continuing until 2033, according to the NAO, which did not consider its value for money.

The Rwanda policy is a key plank of Mr Sunak’s plan to “stop the boats”, as he believes it will be a deterrent to further Channel crossings.

No asylum seekers have so far been removed because of the legal challenges that resulted in the Supreme Court finding the scheme unlawful.

Mr Sunak is trying to revive the policy by passing legislation deeming Rwanda a safe country and ratifying a new treaty with Kigali. The Rwanda Bill is making its way through a House of Lords that is hostile to the scheme.

Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “This report reveals the national scandal the Tories have been trying to hide. Its shocking analysis shows the costs of the failed Rwanda farce are even higher than previously thought.

“In order to send less than 1 per cent of UK asylum seekers to Rwanda on a few symbolic flights, the taxpayer will be forced to fork out over half a billion pounds – with no ability to recover any of the money already sent. This is the equivalent of nearly £2m per person sent.

“Rishi Sunak has staked his position on this scheme. He must account for this fiasco.”

Home Affairs Committee chairwoman Dame Diana Johnson said: “These are staggering figures.

“For all its rhetoric about ensuring value for money in the asylum and immigration system it is unclear how schemes such as Rwanda or Bibby Stockholm achieve that.

“Huge initial outlay and ongoing costs raise serious questions about how this can be cost effective, even compared to high hotel accommodation costs.

“What we are left with is a very expensive programme the Government hopes may offer a deterrent to those seeking to cross the Channel in small boats. Yet, there is little evidence for this either…”

Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said: “These figures reveal the extortionate bill the taxpayer will have to pay the Rwandan government for an unworkable and inhumane scheme that will not deter people seeking protection on our shores.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “It is vital we respond to illegal migration with bold, long-term solutions. Our partnership with Rwanda offers just that.

“Doing nothing is not without significant costs. Unless we act, the cost of housing asylum seekers is set to reach £11bn per year by 2026. Illegal migration costs lives and perpetuates human trafficking, and it is therefore right that we fund solutions to break this unsustainable cycle.

“We have a strong relationship with Rwanda and both sides remain absolutely determined to deliver on this partnership. Once the Safety of Rwanda Bill and Treaty are in place, we will focus on getting flights off the ground.”

Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo said: “It’s called the Migration and Economic Development Partnership for a reason. A portion of the funding rightly supports Rwanda’s development. The rest of the money ensures we are prepared to receive and to care for the migrants when they arrive. Treating people with dignity, and providing them with safety and opportunity can’t be done on the cheap.”