Sir Keir Starmer, newly instated as Britain’s prime minister, has terminated the previous government’s Rwanda deportation scheme, which was supposed to see thousands of illegal migrants deported from the country. The far-left Labour leader described the plan as a “gimmick,” claiming it “was dead and buried before it started.”
The financial consequences of ending the program, along with the total cost to taxpayers, remain unclear, though hundreds of millions had already been sunk into the policy. The fate of about 52,000+ migrants identified for deportation is now uncertain, though Labour Party policy would likely see them remaining in the United Kingdom and enjoying the privileges of first-class citizens.
The Rwanda plan faced multiple legal challenges and saw no flights depart over the past several years.
According to data up to June 26, 13,195+ individuals reached the UK via small boat crossings in 2024, exceeding figures from the same period over the previous four years. Since 2018, nearly 120,000 people have arrived in the UK through this route.
Earlier this year, Rwandan President Paul Kagame suggested a potential refund to British taxpayers if the deal collapsed.
A surge in illegal crossings is now expected, much like the start of the Biden regime in the United States, with Labour Party policy as well as the end of the deportation scheme acting as further “pull factors” for illegal immigration.
