London (Parliament Politics Maganize) – A watchdog stated that the expense of the troubled policy could soar to half a billion pounds, plus hundreds of thousands more for each deportee.
Rishi Sunak has pressed his Rwanda deportation plan as a “worthwhile investment” despite the public spending watchdog revealing the cost of the policy could fly to half a billion pounds. In a disclosure branded a “national scandal” by Labour, the National Audit Office (NAO) stated the project could cost taxpayers nearly £2 million for each of the first 300 asylum applicants sent to the East African nation.
The Home Office had so far declined to say how much more money, on top of the £290 million already approved, the UK has arranged to pay Kigali under the delayed plan, but a NAO report discovered millions more in spending, including £11,000 for each migrant’s plane ticket.
On Friday, the Prime Minister upheld his flagship asylum scheme, central to his pledge to stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
During a visit to Scotland, Mr. Sunak told reporters, “The present situation is unsustainable and unfair. Taxpayers are already forking out millions of pounds a day to house unlawful migrants in hotels across the country; that’s not right. That’s why I made containing the boats one of my priorities.
“I’m glad we’ve made progress; last year, the numbers were down by a third.” He persisted: “To fully resolve this issue, we must have a barrier. We need to be able to say if you come here illegally, you won’t be able to survive; we can remove you to a safe country.
“That’s why the Rwanda scheme is so critical. It’s a worthwhile investment, and I’m determined to see it through.”
No asylum seeker who has reached the UK via unauthorized means has been terminated to Rwanda under the policy because of the legal challenges that resulted in the Supreme Court uncovering the scheme unlawfully.
Even if no one is expelled in the future, Mr. Sunak has already arranged to pay £370 million over the five-year deal. Questioned whether Mr. Sunak acknowledged it was a good idea to dedicate millions to Rwanda without a guarantee that any migrants will be dispatched there, a Downing Street spokeswoman stated: “The Prime Minister is dedicated to getting flights off the ground and confirming that the Rwanda partnership gets up and running.”
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The spokeswoman reflected on the Home Office’s reaction to the NAO report: “The cost of housing asylum seekers is set to reach £11 billion per year by 2026. And the Home Office is now paying £8 million daily on hotels. So doing nothing carries significant costs, surpassing the amount provided to Rwanda.”