Rwanda plan

[AdamRyan]

Was just reading Suella Bravermans thoughts on how to make the Rwanda plan work, which involve sending staff there to review claims and pulling out of all human rights and refugee conventions.

The plan has cost £140m to Rwanda so far, plus £££££ in legal fees and so far we've sent no-one and found out its illegal. I'm very baffled as to why the government are pursuing it, I keep hearing that "most people" support it. So I thought I'd ask:

IABU: It's a priority as it will deter immigration and the government should spend whatever money and time it takes to deliver this

IANBU: The government should focus time/money on other priorities instead.

@DuncinToffee presumably they will be processed according to UK rules, not Rwanda's...

No, that is the whole point.

THey will be assessed by the Rwandan government and their rules.

Out of interest, what happens in the UK if a refugee turns up with papers and says they would be tortured if they went back to their home country but provides no proof? This must happen all the time.

Without papers.

Eh? That's a totally nonsensical suggestion.

The UK asylum system costs £3 billion a year...

@DuncinToffee I do agree with that but simultaneously I want stricter controls around immigration and the right infrastructure put in place (more schools/houses etc). The whole system and approach needs reform and the Rwanda thing is just a red herring in my view. Like a PP said what happens when that option is exhausted and full?

I am going to assume we all want that but you can't blame immigration and refugees for the mess the country is in.

In the interests of factual accuracy I would like to point out firstly that all the countries you mention take more refugees than the UK.

Secondly there are more than a million empty homes in England, it is a choice that the UK taxpayer spends all that money on hotels.

@jgw1 are you suggesting the government should confiscate all properties that are not occupied?

They could buy them, like they did with HS2

What we really need to do is build a huge amount of social housing, but we can't afford it.

I blame the lack of planning in infrastructure, the money wasted on covid, the current government and a whole host of other reasons for the mess this country is in! Illegal migration is one of many problems this country has alongside the rest of Europe.

If the government bought a million houses at say £400,000 each that would cost £400 billion, where would that money come from?

Why a million?

Taking @jgw1 estimate below.

It is not illegal to claim asylum

I agree with the rest of your post.

At the end of the day, we have these asylum seekers arriving without paperwork, playing the system with endless appeals and clogging up the system. They have often passed through at least one European country and decided they fancy life in Britain instead. They will claim they come from a country where they will be tortured if they return, which may or may not be true. As a result, after five years of staying in a hotel and not working they will be granted asylum.

Now that you know your opinions were based on a false premise, have you revised them?

You have evidence for this claim?

@DuncinToffee you have evidence they don't?

Will this do?

Ninety two percent of people arriving in small boat from 2018 to March 2023 claimed asylum; of the small share who had received a decision by March 2023, 86% received a grant of protection

Now, please share your evidence

I agree.

There was an interesting suggestion on any questions about whether a tax should be raised on foreign owners of UK properties. Alternatively we could like many countries make it much harder for overseas buyers to own property in the UK particularly if they have no intention of living in the UK.
A thorough register of property ownership would be a good place to start.

In the interest of factual accuracy I would like to point out it was the UK government that insisted on the transit clause in the Refugee Convention.
Additionally it is a choice the UK government makes to not allow asylum seekers to work while their claims are being considered.