West Northamptonshire Councillor writes to MPs with ‘intense concern’ over government plans to ship Asylum Seekers to Rwanda

The deputy leader of West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) Labour Group has voiced “grave concerns” over the government’s plans to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Councillor Emma Roberts laid out her concerns in a letter to Northamptonshire’s Conservative MPs Andrea Leadsom, Michael Ellis, Chris Heaton-Harris, and Andrew Lewer.

In it Cllr Roberts warned that implementing the “brutal” plans could mar Northampton’s welcoming reputation as well.

Cllr Roberts wrote: “The Conservative-controlled West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) resolved on December 2, 2021 to apply for City of Sanctuary status.

"It is striving to be one of the country’s leading local authorities in providing shelter and a new life to refugees from Afghanistan and offering homes to those fleeing violence in Ukraine.

"The plans announced by your government do not reflect the same spirit of charity and generosity demonstrated wholeheartedly by your constituents."

Cllr Roberts said that asylum-seekers are reaching the UK by “the only means available to them” – including those who have been victims of torture, trafficking, and persecution.

She continued: “Rwanda has a poor human rights record… and the UK is a source country for many refugees who flee political persecution and torture from the Rwandan government.

“I implore you to… reconsider these plans which are ultimately inhumane, expensive, and damaging to the UK’s reputation as an upholder of human rights across the globe.

“This policy will result in millions of pounds of taxpayer’s money being given to other countries to run a programme that has been proven already to not only be brutal but also ineffectual.”

However, proponents have argued that illegal immigration currently poses a “blank cheque” for taxpayers and so the plan offers a solution.

Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said: "It is controlled immigration through safe and legal routes which enables us to make generous offers of sanctuary.

"Such that we can give all who come here the support they need to rebuild their lives, integrate and to thrive.

"The quid pro quo for this generosity is that we cannot sustain a parallel illegal system. Our compassion may be infinite but our capacity to help people is not."

Mr Johnson said he cannot cover the costs of "anyone who might want to come and live here".

Priti Patel, the Secretary of State for the Home Office, personally approved the plan with an historic Ministerial Direction that requires civil servants to follow the plan, or find another job.

It is only the second such Direction the Home Office has received in the last 30 years.

According to Mrs Patel, the plan is intended to foil the business of people smugglers.

She, wrote in The Times: “The global asylum system is broken. Around the world, it is collapsing under the strain of real humanitarian crises, and because people traffickers exploit the current system for their own gain.

“These criminals play on the hopes of economic migrants, pushing them to make dangerous journeys because they can claim asylum if they make it.

“This has devastating consequences for the countless men, women and children who have lost their lives or lost loved ones on these perilous journeys.

“This can’t go on. We need innovative solutions to put a stop to this deadly trade.”

Debate continues over the controversial plans.