Advertisement

Jacob Rees-Mogg has claimed that Britain is helping Rwanda fulfill its “Easter redemption story” through a new deal to send asylum seekers to the country.

The deputy spoke in defense of the government’s plan to send immigrants to the African country on a one-way ticket after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, declared that the plan was against “God’s judgment”.

Mr Rees-Mogg said world in one that the archbishop had “misunderstood what the policy was trying to achieve.”

He stated: “What is being done is to give Rwanda a chance, because that is going to give Rwanda, a country that needs support and has been through terrible troubles… the story of Rwanda is almost a story of Easter redemption, a country that is suffering. was the most shocking and horrific genocide and now it is recovering and England supporting it must be a good thing.”

The Brexit Chances minister also suggested that those seeking asylum in the UK after crossing the Channel “are not only risking their lives, they are supporting organized crime”.

He said refusing to allow people to seek asylum in the UK “would make provision for those who have been exploited by criminals in a way that neither aids nor assists criminals”.

Mr Rees-Mogg continued: “The problem at hand is that people are risking their lives at the hands of human traffickers to enter this country illegally.

“This is a push from human traffickers that must be stopped.”

Human rights groups and the United Nations refugee agency have warned that the plans unveiled by Home Secretary Priti Patel could violate international law by evading Britain’s obligation to grant asylum to those in need.

Those transferred to Rwanda under the plan will have no route back to the UK under the proposal, even if they prove to be legal refugees.

It has been revealed that Mrs Patel pushed for the plan despite warnings from her public servant that there was “insufficient evidence” to show that the policy would prevent crossing the Channel or provide value for money.

An objection from Permanent Undersecretary of State Matthew Rycroft warned that there was “uncertainty around the value of the proposal”.

“The evidence for a deterrent effect is very uncertain,” Rycroft said. “Y [it] it cannot be measured with sufficient certainty to give me the necessary level of confidence about the value of money.

“I don’t think you can get enough evidence to show that the policy will have a significant enough deterrent effect for the policy to be profitable.

“This doesn’t mean that [Rwanda plan] may not have an adequate deterrent effect; there is not enough evidence for me to conclude that will happen.”

Mrs Patel had to issue a ministerial directive on a new immigration plan, pushing it forward despite objections.

Advertisement