Pawan Kumar
No 10 refuses to rebuke minister for Rwanda ‘marginal benefit’
Downing Street has declined to criticise a minister of the British government who stated that the strategy of transferring refugees to Rwanda would only have a “marginal benefit.” The Prime Minister’s spokesman referred to the policy of handing illegal immigrants a one-way ticket to an east African country as a “essential component of the answer” to the problem of small boats crossing the English Channel.
However, the No. 10 official declined to directly criticise Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell for his Sunday statements.
There is no single lever or policy that can address the problem in a single step.
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister.
As a backbencher, Mr. Mitchell was sceptical of the Rwanda initiative. He told Channel 4’s Andrew Neil Show that the policy was “worth studying,” but it was “certainly not the entire solution.”
To date, no flights conveying migrants to Kigali have taken off, as the Rwanda plan has been bogged in legal obstacles.
Mr. Mitchell told the programme, “It will be of marginal benefit.”
“What we must do is halt these boats, and there are a variety of tactics we may employ to do so.”
According to sources, a number of Conservative lawmakers have been irritated by what they consider to be an exception for Mr. Mitchell to the notion that all ministers should support government policies.
According to Politico, Workington MP Mark Jenkinson posted a tape of Mr. Mitchell’s remarks to a Tory WhatsApp group with the question, “How does one obtain one of these passes that absolves you of collective responsibility?”
When challenged about the minister’s words, the official spokeswoman for the Prime Minister stated that there was “no single lever” that could be employed to stop the small boat crossings.
He told reporters on Monday, “I believe we’ve always been clear that there is no single lever, no single policy that can fix this problem in a single leap.”
“It will be a combination of multiple measures that will put an end to it.
“This is what the government is attempting to accomplish with the Rwanda collaboration, which is a crucial component, and we are aiming to expand this (via) some of the stricter regulations we are introducing and the growth of our engagement with our French colleagues.
“Each of these is essential, and combined, they will help stop the boats.”
Mr. Sunak’s spokesman stated that he was unaware of the Prime Minister’s conversation with Mr. Mitchell, a former international development secretary, concerning the potential impact of the Rwanda policy on the number of migrants.
The Prime Minister and Home Secretary Suella Braverman are drafting legislation to dissuade migrants from illegally entering the United Kingdom.
Also Read: | Philippines says China used ‘military-grade’ lasers against coast guard ship
No. 10 stated that it was a “priority for the Prime Minister” and that the draught bill was being worked on “urgently” but declined to provide a publication date.
The leader of a charity discusses a “traumatic” interaction with a royal aide.
