UK: Scrapping of unlawful Rwanda refugee scheme welcome

In response to the controversial Rwanda refugee scheme being scrapped, Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s Chief Executive, said:

“The unlawful Rwanda scheme shamed the UK in the eyes of the world, and we welcome this move to scrap it.

“Asylum reform must go well beyond scrapping the Rwanda scheme - the new Government should end the policy of not processing people’s asylum claims and urgently set up safe routes so more people can avoid dangerous journeys at the hands of people smugglers.

 “The new Government must follow through on its promise to clear its predecessor's backlog, deciding both old and new asylum claims according to their true merits regardless of how someone has arrived.

“Seeking asylum to escape war and persecution is a basic human right, and our asylum system must process claims fairly and efficiently so refugees can get on with their lives.

“We hope to see an end to the political scapegoating of those seeking asylum and other migrants, and like many we are looking to a new government to deliver a long overdue change for the better to the language, policy and practice.”