This action was taken after the Minister of Home Affairs, James Smart, will sign a new agreement with the East African country. Both the agreement and the law seek to address concerns raised by the Supreme Court last month, when it ruled that plans to send a number of asylum seekers to Rwanda were illegal. This policy was announced by Boris Johnson in April 2022, aiming to deter those intending to cross it English channel by small boat, but has faced repeated delays due to court cases and, so far, no asylum seekers have been sent to Rwanda from the UK.

First Minister, Rishi Sunakstated that “I unequivocally state that we can no longer tolerate the endless scourge of illegal migration in our country” which is “costing billions of pounds and innocent lives”, and that is why “we are taking action to end it and “make it clear that it is Parliament that should decide who comes to this country, not criminal gangs.”

“Through this historic new emergency law,” he said, “we will control our borders, prevent people from making the dangerous journey across the channel, and end ongoing legal challenges in our courts.” The draft law indicates that the state has the power to ignore the decisions of the law European Court of Human Rightss, although without ignoring or “abrogating” the European Convention in this regard.

However, “we will repeal key parts of the UK Human Rights Act, particularly in the case of Rwanda, to ensure that our plan can’t be stopped”Sunak said. “We have acted to resolve the issues raised by the Supreme Court, showing that Rwanda is not only a safe country, but also a modern and prosperous country.”