After unsuccessful appeals to the London courts, the British government, which finally thought it could deport migrants to the East African country, saw its project interrupted at the last minute by a decision of the ECHR.
Britain is confident it can overcome any legal challenges preventing it from deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, after the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which grounded the first flight scheduled for Tuesday evening, a few minutes before departure.
Minister for Work and Pensions Therese Coffey told the BBC the government was surprised by the intervention but was already planning the next flight. “We obviously still have to review this decision, decide on the next legal steps but also prepare for the next flight,” she said.
“Inhuman” battle
Separately, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Britain would not be deterred. Asked about a possible change in the relationship between the European Court and Britain, which is part of the Council of Europe, he reportedly said that this scenario was possible and that all these options “are being examined constant”. Therese Coffey, however, indicated that she was not aware of any decision on this subject at the moment.
The Rwandan government told Reuters the country remained “ready to welcome migrants and provide them with security and opportunities”. Opponents of the deportation plan accuse the UK government of waging an ‘inhumane’ battle against asylum seekers, while London believes the move will stem the flow of travel across the Channel and break the economic model networks of smugglers
