Rwanda plan a ‘desperate attempt to distract from the PM’s lawbreaking’, says Labour

Shadow Home Secretary said plans to deport asylum seekers were 'unethical'

Labour's Yvette Cooper has described Home Secretary Priti Patel's plans to deport refugees to east Africa as an "unworkable shameful and desperate attempt to distract from the PM's lawbreaking". Speaking in the commons on Tuesday afternoon, Cooper accused the Home Secretary of attempting to distract from Partygate with the plan - a move she said was "undermining" Patel's office. Under new guidance, single men found to have arrived “illegally” on small boats from the Channel, or stowed in a refrigerated lorry, would be flown to Rwanda in east Africa to process their asylum application. Currently, most refugees are not able to make an asylum claim until they have arrived in the UK. A Downing Street spokesperson has confirmed the policy will not apply to Ukrainians, but was not able to detail eligible nationalities. While this is the first “offshoring” plan of its kind to be actioned in Britain, Australia have been deporting asylum seekers to detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island since the early 2000s. Research from the University of New South Wales found the Australian system cost approximately £4.3 billion since July 2013. Related Links

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