Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that Rwanda’s deportation scheme is “dead and buried”, on his first full day as prime minister.
The Labor leader said he would end the “trick” of deporting migrants arriving illegally in the UK to Rwanda, which was established by the previous Conservative government.
Labor campaigned on a manifesto pledge to end the scheme, which has already cost around £310 million, promising a more effective approach to tackling illegal immigration to replace it.
In his first press conference since joining Number 10, Sir Keir told journalists: “The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started.”
He argued that the scheme was “never a deterrent” as it would only deport “less than 1%” of small boat arrivals.
The financial implications of dismantling the scheme and the total bill for the taxpayer are not yet known. The end of the scheme also leaves a question mark over the fate of 52,000 migrants slated for deportation.
The scheme was a key battleground during the final days of Rishi Sunak’s government.
The former prime minister made implementing this policy a key priority of his term, arguing that it deterred people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Despite being announced two years ago by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Rwanda’s plan faced numerous legal challenges and never saw a flight take off.
The plans also faced painful approval in Parliament, triggering numerous conservative rebellions.
As of June 26, 13,195 people have arrived in the UK via small boat crossings across the English Channel in 2024 – up from the same period in the previous four years.
Since 2018, almost 120,000 people have come to the UK via this route.
He added: “Look at the numbers that have come out in the first six months or so of this year, they are record numbers, that is the problem we are inheriting.
“This has had the complete opposite effect and I am not prepared to continue with tricks that do not act as a deterrent.”
The new government has established illegal migration as one of its top priorities.
The Labor manifesto promised to restrict the crossing of small boats across the English Channel, hiring investigators and using anti-terrorism powers to “crush” criminal smuggling gangs.
The Labor Party has not yet revealed the full details of its scheme.
Earlier this year, Rwandan President Paul Kagame hinted that British taxpayers could be refunded if the business failed.
