London, January 17 (IF).- Rwanda's President, Paul Kagame, told the BBC on Wednesday that his government could return money provided to the United Kingdom under a bilateral agreement if it does not finally send illegal immigrants to the African country. . .
Speaking on public radio during a leaders' summit in Davos, Switzerland, Kagame said the fact that London has not deported anyone since the initial agreement was signed in April 2022 “is a problem for the UK, not for Rwanda.”
“If they don't come, we can return the money,” the president said.
The British government has paid £240 million (€280 million) and plans to pay another £50 million (€58 million) as part of the five-year migration agreement signed with Kigali, the total cost of which is not known.
Labour's home affairs spokeswoman, Yvette Cooper, said today: “If Rwanda says it will return the money allocated to this failed programme, (Prime Minister) Rishi Sunak should seize the opportunity rather than prolonging this chaos in the asylum system for much longer.”
Kagame's comments coincide with discussion and subsequent vote on Wednesday in the House of Commons of the Rwanda Security Bill, which plans to strengthen the government's plan to expel migrants arriving illegally, which the British Supreme Court declared illegal in November.
Sunak is trying to rally support among his critical MPs to get the House of Representatives to approve the controversial legislative text, which in any case he will later have to overcome more hurdles in the House of Lords and potential lawsuits.
(c) EFE Agency
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