The Home Office recently revealed that they have no information on the whereabouts of 17,000 individuals who have withdrawn their asylum claims, leading to accusations against Rishi Sunak for failing to manage the UK’s borders.
Senior officials in the department received criticism from Conservative MP and deputy party chair Lee Anderson for their lack of answers regarding the housing and deportation of individuals seeking refuge in the UK and removal of foreign offenders. This comes as the Rwanda deportation plan has been put on hold and the expenses for housing refugees in hotels continue to rise.
His remarks surfaced one hour prior to the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, accusing the prime minister of being in the midst of an “open rebellion” from members of the Conservative party for “failing to maintain control of the borders.”
During a session with the home affairs select committee, Tim Loughton, a member of the Conservative Party, raised concerns about the withdrawal of 17,316 asylum claims in the period leading up to September 2023. He also questioned whether the Home Office was aware of the whereabouts of these individuals who had previously made asylum claims.
Simon Ridley, the temporary deputy permanent secretary at the Home Office, stated that it was not by chance. He explained, “While handling numerous past cases, there have been instances of individuals absconding at that particular time.”
When Loughton asked if Ridley knew the whereabouts of the 17,316 individuals, Ridley replied that they did not have that information.
The permanent secretary of the Home Office, Sir Matthew Rycroft, informed members of Parliament that officials are currently in Kigali, Rwanda working on finalizing a new immigration agreement. This comes after the supreme court rejected the government’s initial deal.
The committee inquired about the additional cost UK taxpayers should anticipate for the program, having already provided £140m to the Rwandan government since April 2022.
Rycroft mentioned the possibility of providing more money, but did not disclose whether any further payments had been made. Instead, he stated that the decision to withhold this information until the department’s annual report in the summer had been made by ministers.
When asked about the Home Office’s publication of an impact assessment stating that the cost for each deported person was £169,000, Rycroft acknowledged that this was the figure stated in the document. However, he clarified that the Home Office does not consider it to be accurate as it is based on estimates.
The individual also stated that they do not have a specific number of Rwandan individuals that the government may need to accept under a provision in the agreement, and are unable to provide information on backup plans in case the Rwandan deal falls through.
After talking with the committee about Channel crossings and deporting denied asylum seekers from the UK, Rycroft and Ridley were unable to provide specific answers. The committee chair, Dame Diana Johnson, then inquired, “Do we have any data on anything?”
Anderson expressed surprise at the fact that the boss seems to be unaware, not only about this particular issue, but also about most of the other questions raised during the day. He then asked why this is the case.
“Rycroft responded that Mr. Ridley is in search of the numbers and they will be sent to you.”
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During the prime minister’s questions, Starmer accused Sunak of having the opposite effect of King Midas, stating that while in office, migration has tripled and yet he is lecturing about targets. Starmer believes Sunak is out of touch with reality. It must be unsettling for the opposition members to hear the prime minister claim he will solve a problem.
The leader of the Labour party referenced allegations made by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman that Sunak broke his promise to her to implement stricter immigration policies in return for her backing in the 2022 Conservative leadership race.
Additionally, he emphasized the statements made by immigration minister Robert Jenrick in the House of Commons on Tuesday, expressing his desire for more robust immigration reforms to have been implemented last year.
The immigration minister believes that the prime minister is not succeeding because it seems that no one is paying attention to his confidential strategy. The former home secretary believes he is not succeeding because of his unrealistic beliefs, while the current home secretary, James Cleverly, also believes he is not succeeding.
It appears that the prime minister is the only member of the Tory party who does not have a unique immigration strategy. Clearly, even his own party lacks confidence in him. Why should the general public trust him?
Sunak stood by his accomplishments and stated that the most stringent measures ever implemented to decrease legal immigration have not yet been fully experienced.
Source: theguardian.com
