The UK government wants to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

It is proposing new laws to overcome legal obstacles after the Supreme Court said its plan was unlawful.

What is the Rwanda asylum plan?

Some asylum seekers arriving in the UK would be sent to Rwanda, to have their claims processed there, during a five-year trial.

If successful, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay. If not, they could apply to settle in Rwanda on other grounds, or seek asylum in another “safe third country”.

“Anyone entering the UK illegally” after 1 January 2022 could be sent there, with no limit on numbers, the government said.

Ministers argue the Rwanda plan would deter people arriving in the UK on small boats across the English Channel.

However, when the scheme was first announced, the most senior civil servant in the Home Office said there was little evidence the plan would have a deterrent effect “significant enough to make the policy value for money”.

No asylum seeker has yet been sent to Rwanda, which is a small land-locked country in east-central Africa, 4,000 miles (6,500km) from the UK.

The first flight was scheduled to go in June 2022, but was cancelled after legal challenges.

What was the Supreme Court ruling and is Rwanda safe?

In November 2023, the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Rwanda scheme was unlawful.

It said genuine refugees sent there would be at risk of being returned to their home countries, where they could face harm.

This breaches the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibits torture and inhuman treatment. The UK is a signatory to the ECHR.

The ruling also cited concerns about Rwanda’s poor human rights record, and its past treatment of refugees.

The Supreme Court said that in 2021 the UK government had itself criticised Rwanda for its “extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and torture”. It also highlighted an incident in 2018, when Rwandan police opened fire on protesting refugees.

What is in the new Rwanda bill?

After the Supreme Court ruling, the government introduced a new bill to make clear in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country.

The legislation – which must be approved by Parliament – orders the courts to ignore key sections of the Human Rights Act, in an attempt to sidestep the Supreme Court’s judgment.

It also orders the courts to ignore other British laws or international rules – such as the international Refugee Convention – that stand in the way of deportations to Rwanda.

Why are some Tory MPs unhappy about the Rwanda bill?

The bill passed its first vote in Parliament in December 2023, but on 16 and 17 January, a second round of voting takes place.

Some Conservative politicians are unhappy with the proposed law and think it should go further.

Others have criticised the legislation because they believe it breaks international law.

What does the new treaty with Rwanda say?

As well as introducing the Rwanda safety bill, the UK government also signed a new migration treaty with Rwanda.

Home Secretary James Cleverley says it guarantees that any people sent to Rwanda to claim asylum would not be at risk of being returned to their home countries.

It also includes a new independent monitoring committee to ensure Rwanda complies with its obligations, and that British judges are included in a new appeals process.

What will the Rwanda plan cost?

The UK government says it has paid £240m to Rwanda so far. A further payment of £50m is expected in the 2024-25 financial year.

The Labour Party estimates the government will pay about £400m to Rwanda under the scheme, but the government has confirmed the total cost.

However, official figures suggest that removing each individual to a third country, such as Rwanda, costs £63,000 more than keeping them in the UK.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claimed that the Rwanda plan will “literally save us billions in the long run” but did not explain how.

The Home Office said there would be no cost if the policy prevents individuals from entering the UK.

The UK’s asylum system costs nearly £4bn a year, including about £8m a day on hotel accommodation.

Failure to process asylum claims efficiently “has led to unacceptable costs to the taxpayer,” a report by MPs said in October 2023.