The government can say Rwanda is a safe country ‘with confidence’ and the Supreme Court’s objections to the asylum scheme have been addressed, Home Office document claims

The Government can state ‘with confidence’ that Rwanda is safe and the Supreme Court’s objections to the flagship asylum scheme have been neutralised, a Home Office document stated.

The 34-page ‘evidence pack’ set out how a new treaty with Rwanda signed last week and the new Bill – voted through in the Commons last night – will prevent removed migrants being put at risk.

Home Secretary James Cleverly insisted steps taken by ministers will ‘enable Parliament to conclude that the Supreme Court’s judgment has been addressed’ and ‘Rwanda is safe for relocations’.

The Supreme Court declared last month the Rwanda scheme unlawful, saying there was a danger migrants sent to the capital Kigali could be moved to another country where they fear persecution – a process known as ‘refoulement’. Yesterday’s dossier set out in detail how this is specifically barred under the new treaty.

The agreement also takes various steps to improve Rwanda’s asylum system and bolster rights of appeal within the scheme.

Home Secretary James Cleverly insisted steps taken by ministers will ‘enable Parliament to conclude that the Supreme Court’s judgment has been addressed’ and ‘Rwanda is safe for relocations’ 

The 34-page ‘evidence pack’ set out how a new treaty with Rwanda signed last week and the new Bill – voted through in the Commons last night – will prevent removed migrants being put at risk

The document claimed: ‘These assurances and commitments allow His Majesty’s Government to state, with confidence, that the Supreme Court’s concerns have been addressed and that Rwanda is safe.’

It said work to improve the scheme had been ‘undertaken since the legal proceedings were first brought and was not considered by the courts’. Meanwhile, it also highlighted how the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which opposed the scheme during legal appeals in Britain, operates its own refugee scheme with Rwanda.

It noted the UNHCR’s own literature has referred to Rwanda’s ‘conducive protection environment’.

The document said the measures disapplying parts of current human rights law are ‘compatible’ with the European Convention on Human Rights.

It added that the Strasbourg measures were ‘capable of being operated compatibly’ with human rights law.

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