Leaked papers now suggest that Rishi Sunak, who promised to “restore trust” in the Conservative Party, was pulling a —largely unsuccessful—stunt to win popularity.
The prime minister never thought the Rwanda Plan, now his flagship policy to “stop the boats,” would work, according to documents seen by the BBC. The broadcaster reports that while serving as chancellor under Boris Johnson, Sunak had “significant doubts” about the plan to send illegal migrants to the central African nation for asylum processing such that he wanted to “scale [it] back.” In particular, he believed the “deterrent won’t work.”
Papers prepared in March 2022 say that while Johnson was trying to secure more funding for the scheme, the chancellor “wants to pursue smaller volumes initially, 500 [sent to Rwanda] instead of 1,500” in the first year and “3,000 instead of 5,000 in years two and three.”
His reservations did not stop there. When he stood for the Tory leadership, Sunak “wanted to scrap the Rwanda scheme” altogether, according to a campaign insider. The source told Sky News that the now-PM “had no serious interest” in illegal or legal migration “until he was persuaded otherwise during the campaign.”
Suella Braverman’s resignation letter last November would suggest that she was among the figures persuading Sunak to pursue the Rwanda Plan.
Reports make it clear that it is most likely the PM was convinced not that the scheme was good for the country but that supporting it would keep his more right-wing backbenchers happy.
Sunak has pushed back against this news, insisting that as chancellor he “scrutinised” all plans. But he has not denied considering axing the plan during his leadership bid.
Almost two years on from the creation of these documents, not a single illegal migrant has been deported to Rwanda. The Tories, as Labour likes to joke, have sent more home secretaries to the African state than Channel crossers.
In light of this new information, it is worth considering the possible reasons for this. It is possible that the policy is simply no good; that no amount of political will could get any planes off the ground. But the documents point to another possibility; that the Rwanda Plan hasn’t worked because those responsible for it never believed it could, and so never even tried.
Sunak’s equivocation echoes that of Boris Johnson. Few doubt that his backing of the 2016 Brexit campaign was less to do with his (at best) questionable commitment to Britain leaving the EU than with his thirst for leadership.
UK Prime Minister Never Believed the Rwanda Plan Would Work
Rishi Sunak
Photo: ComposedPix / Shutterstock.com
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Leaked papers now suggest that Rishi Sunak, who promised to “restore trust” in the Conservative Party, was pulling a —largely unsuccessful—stunt to win popularity.
The prime minister never thought the Rwanda Plan, now his flagship policy to “stop the boats,” would work, according to documents seen by the BBC. The broadcaster reports that while serving as chancellor under Boris Johnson, Sunak had “significant doubts” about the plan to send illegal migrants to the central African nation for asylum processing such that he wanted to “scale [it] back.” In particular, he believed the “deterrent won’t work.”
Papers prepared in March 2022 say that while Johnson was trying to secure more funding for the scheme, the chancellor “wants to pursue smaller volumes initially, 500 [sent to Rwanda] instead of 1,500” in the first year and “3,000 instead of 5,000 in years two and three.”
His reservations did not stop there. When he stood for the Tory leadership, Sunak “wanted to scrap the Rwanda scheme” altogether, according to a campaign insider. The source told Sky News that the now-PM “had no serious interest” in illegal or legal migration “until he was persuaded otherwise during the campaign.”
Suella Braverman’s resignation letter last November would suggest that she was among the figures persuading Sunak to pursue the Rwanda Plan.
Reports make it clear that it is most likely the PM was convinced not that the scheme was good for the country but that supporting it would keep his more right-wing backbenchers happy.
Sunak has pushed back against this news, insisting that as chancellor he “scrutinised” all plans. But he has not denied considering axing the plan during his leadership bid.
Almost two years on from the creation of these documents, not a single illegal migrant has been deported to Rwanda. The Tories, as Labour likes to joke, have sent more home secretaries to the African state than Channel crossers.
In light of this new information, it is worth considering the possible reasons for this. It is possible that the policy is simply no good; that no amount of political will could get any planes off the ground. But the documents point to another possibility; that the Rwanda Plan hasn’t worked because those responsible for it never believed it could, and so never even tried.
Sunak’s equivocation echoes that of Boris Johnson. Few doubt that his backing of the 2016 Brexit campaign was less to do with his (at best) questionable commitment to Britain leaving the EU than with his thirst for leadership.
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