LONDON, June 15 — Britain is confident it can defeat any legal challenges and deport asylum seekers to Rwanda following a last minute intervention by European judges that grounded the first flight minutes before it was due to depart late yesterday.
The British government had been forced to fight a series of legal challenges in London courts and believed it was ready to deport a handful of migrants on a charter plane to the east African country, before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) granted an injunction.
Charities, political opponents and religious leaders have accused the government of waging an “inhumane” battle against asylum seekers. The government argues it will stem the flow of dangerous cross-Channel trips and smash the business model of people-smuggling networks.
Therese Coffey, work and pensions minister, told Sky News the government was already preparing for the next flight.
“The most important thing is that we tackle this issue right now, we’ll go back I’m sure to ECHR to challenge this initial ruling,” she said. “We will be preparing for the next flight.” Coffey was asked if Britain would consider changing its relationship with the European court, which is part of the 46-nation Council of Europe. “Right now I’m not aware of any decisions or hints even about that,” she said.
The Rwandan government said it was not deterred by the development. “Rwanda stands ready to receive the migrants when they do arrive and offer them safety and opportunity in our country,” government spokesperson Yolande Makolo told Reuters. — Reuters
