It is clear that the global asylum system is broken. Some 80 million people are on the move around the world, driven from their homes by conflict and instability. Many more people are seeking better prospects, driven by an understandable desire for a better life. The result is increased illegal migration flows, including into Europe and onto the UK.
At present, criminal gangs are profiting from people’s desperation. There are countless tragedies where people are being cruelly sold a dream but living a nightmare, packed into shipping containers, lorries, or small boats – and sadly some people die making the journey. These people are being smuggled into the UK illegally and in most cases from a safe EU country, like France. The smugglers are, more often than not, part of a wider criminal network involved in modern slavery, people trafficking, and sexual exploitation.
To solve these difficult issues, the UK has now entered into the world’s first Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda in order to provide a solution to a very specific problem. Under the partnership, people who enter the UK illegally, including by small boats across the Channel, may have their asylum claim considered in Rwanda rather than in the UK, with a view to receiving the protection they need in Rwanda if their claim is granted.
Both the EU and UN have resettled people in Rwanda and of course, those who do settle there will receive support with healthcare, education, and help to get a job. Rwanda has a credible track record of hosting refugees and working constructively with the UN Refugee Agency to provide food, healthcare and jobs with over 130,000 refugees recently resettled.
The UK is investing £120 million into the economic development and growth of Rwanda, with funding also provided to support the delivery of asylum operations, accommodation and integration, similar to the costs incurred in the UK for these services. Furthermore, it is the case that Rwanda has one of the fastest-growing economies and enterprise cultures, with growing trade links with the UK, which this scheme will complement as part of the Government’s Global Britain agenda.
This is not to be confused with our other work to support people in need of protection. The UK provides safe and legal routes, already welcoming over 185,000 men, women, and children seeking refuge since 2015. This includes almost 100,000 people threatened by draconian security laws in Hong Kong, 20,000 via the Syrian scheme, 13,500 from Afghanistan, and around 56,000 Ukrainians. I recently met with Chichester District Council Leader, Cllr. Eileen Lintill, and the Council’s CEO, Dianne Shepherd, where we discussed the incredible generosity of local people. Our area is welcoming over 180 Ukrainians fleeing the conflict with more than 160 sponsors coming forward to help our European neighbours in their time of need.
These new measures, combined with the reforms to the asylum system and the changes to our laws in the Nationality and Borders Bill, will help deter illegal entry into the UK. In doing so it will help break the business model of the criminal smuggling gangs, protect the lives of those they endanger, ensure continued support for the truly vulnerable, and enhance our ability to remove those with no right to be in the UK.