It’s time to seize this moment and back the Rwanda Bill to move forward on the work the British people want to see done
A LOT has been written about the Government’s Migration and Economic Partnership with Rwanda.
Quite a lot of it is nonsense. The worst is when people hopelessly, even wilfully, misunderstand Rwanda.
It’s an amazing country. When I visited Kigali, I was bowled over by the journey they’ve had since the genocide of the mid-1990s.
Those days must never be forgotten, but the Rwanda of today is peaceful, dynamic, and prosperous. And they are going places.
It is deemed safe by the UN refugee agency — and many refugees and other immigrants who have settled there, are now thriving.
Some have also started successful businesses.
We want to deter people from coming to the UK illegally, by making it clear that they won’t be allowed to stay.
But those who are relocated to Rwanda and settle there will have quality accommodation, access to all the services they need, and the chance to make a new life in a terrific country.
They will be safe in Rwanda — and there is no risk that they will be sent on to a dangerous third country.
In recent days we have taken action to reassure everyone of that.
The Treaty with Rwanda that I signed last week and new laws that are being considered by Parliament make that crystal clear.
Thanks to this government’s hard work, small boat arrivals are down by a third this year, even as they are on the rise in Europe.
The largest ever small boats deal with France, tackling the supply of boats and parts, the arrest and conviction of people- smugglers, and a 70 per cent increase in illegal working raids have all had an impact.
And we have signed returns and cooperation agreements with France, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia and Italy.
Illegal immigration is unsafe, unfair, and unsustainable. The British people are fed up with it, as am I.
It is vital that politicians — the representatives of the people — decide who comes to this country.
If domestic or foreign courts find that a government policy is unlawful, it is our job to fix it. That’s what we’ve done.
We will put an end to the merry-go-round of legal challenges to Rwanda flights.
The new bill is the toughest immigration law ever. Every reason that has been used to stop removals to Rwanda is now blocked.
Only if someone is in imminent danger of being seriously or permanently harmed can they appeal.
That’s a very high bar and it will be very rare that anybody clears it.
The public wants overall legal immigration levels reduced. That’s why I’ve just announced policies that mean numbers will fall further than ever before.
But we have to stop illegal immigration entirely.
Labour gleefully criticise our Rwanda plan but have no alternative. Not one we are not already doing.
We have now provided all the reassurance they could ever need. They have no excuse.
It’s high time they corrected their outdated and unfair opinions about Rwanda and got behind a policy that will save lives at sea, will defeat the evil people smugglers and will restore fairness to our immigration system.
It’s been just weeks since the Supreme Court verdict, and we have a new Treaty with Rwanda and a bill to move us forward on the work the British people want to see done.
I’d urge my colleagues to seize this moment to make sure it is.