A cabinet minister has suggested Kigali, the Rwandan capital, is safer than London as the government seeks to pass its Rwanda bill through parliament today.
Rishi Sunak is set to hold a press conference in Downing Street this morning, ahead of crunch votes on the Rwanda bill this afternoon and likely this evening.
The prime minister is expected to urge peers to allow the Rwanda bill to complete its parliamentary stages.
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Weeks of parliamentary back-and-forth, known as “ping pong”, have seen the House of Lords repeatedly amend the legislation in ways the government refuses to accept.
Sunak labelled the bill “emergency legislation” when it was first brought forward after the supreme court ruling on the scheme last year. However, parliamentary debate has stretched over more than four months, greatly delaying deportation flights.
Speaking to the BBC this morning, deputy foreign secretary Andrew Mitchell said: “The remarkable regime in Rwanda, over the last 30 years, has come back from the abyss, a country completely destroyed by the genocide.
“It is absolutely extraordinary what the Rwandan government have achieved in all walks of life. It is a safe country.
“And, indeed, if you look at the statistics, Kigali is arguably safer than London. I have no doubt at all about the safety of Rwanda and the efficacy of the scheme.”
Pushed on reports that, in 2018, Rwandan security forces opened fire on protesting refugees, Mitchell told the Today programme that it was “a highly contested incident”.
“But the facts are clear. There are enormous numbers of refugees in Rwanda, who are well looked after”, he added.
Mitchell also argued that some of the Lords’ criticism of the Rwanda scheme “border[s] on racism”.
He said: “I’ve listened to what has been said about the independence of the judiciary [in Rwanda], the judicial arrangements that have been set up on Rwanda. The Rwandan judge, Judge Rugege, is an enormously distinguished and respected international jurist. Indeed, he is an honorary fellow in law at an Oxford College.
“Some of the discussions that have gone on in the Lords about the judicial arrangements within Rwanda have been patronising and, in my view, border on racism.
“So we don’t think it’s necessary to have that amendment either, and that the necessary structures are in place to ensure that the scheme works properly and fairly”.
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‘No more delay’: Rishi Sunak to hold press conference ahead of Rwanda Bill showdown
