The National Times - Rwanda threatens pull out from migrants deal if UK acts unlawfully

Former UK interior minister Suella Braverman issued Conservative leader Sunak an ultimatum to get tougher on immigration or face certain wipeout in the next general election.

Among her demands was to block "all routes" of legal challenge to deportations to get deportation flights to Rwanda by the time of the poll, which is expected next year.

She also urged the government to introduce "powers to detain and remove (migrants)... notwithstanding the Human Rights Act, the European Convention on Human Rights, the Refugee Convention, and all other international law".

But in Kigali, Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta, who signed a new bilateral treaty on migrants with Braverman's successor on Tuesday, said any breach of global conventions could see Rwanda withdraw from the deal.

"It has always been important to both Rwanda and the UK that our rule of law partnership meets the highest standards of international law, and it places obligations on both the UK and Rwanda to act lawfully," he said in a statement.

"Without lawful behaviour by the UK, Rwanda would not be able to continue with the Migration and Economic Development Partnership," he added, referring to the controversial deal.

- Wipeout -

In London, Braverman's successor James Cleverly published emergency legislation designed to ensure Rwanda is considered a safe country, after Supreme Court judges last month deemed that it was not.

"This is a partnership to which we and Rwanda are both completely committed," he told parliament, saying the proposed law put "beyond legal doubt the safety of Rwanda".

The bill proposes giving ministers powers to disregard sections of the UK Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights when considering deportation cases.

Braverman, sacked last month after a series of outspoken comments, said earlier that the government needed to go further to tackle "mass, uncontrolled, illegal immigration".

She has become the cheerleader of the vocal Tory right-wing and is thought to be positioning herself as a future leader if Sunak is forced to quit after the nationwide vote.

The former attorney general has called for tougher measures before, and criticised the UN convention on refugees and European human rights legislation for blocking the government's plans.

Her latest comments are red meat to fellow hardliners who see having total control over Britain's borders as the final piece in the Brexit jigsaw.

"The Conservative party faces electoral oblivion in a matter of months if it introduces yet another bill destined to fail," she told MPs.

The Tories face a stark choice to "fight for sovereignty or let our party die", she said, adding: "I refuse to sit by and allow us to fail."

"We are running out of time," she warned.

Sunak, she said, needs "political courage" to go further than his existing plans, which were formulated after Supreme Court judges deemed the deportation policy illegal under international law.

- 'Stop the boats' -

Braverman called for removals to happen within days of arrivals, and for the "administrative detention of illegal arrivals until they are removed".

"If the prime minister leads that fight he has my total support," she said, indicating that Sunak will face damaging in-fighting if he does not.

The first deportees were due to be sent to Rwanda in June last year but were pulled off a flight at the last minute after a judge at the European Court of Human Rights issued an injunction.

Since then, their cases -- and the wider legality of the policy -- have been stuck in the courts, hampering Sunak's pledge to "stop the boats".

Almost 30,000 irregular migrants have crossed the channel from northern France in rudimentary vessels this year.

The main opposition Labour party's home affairs spokeswoman Yvette Cooper said the UK government was in "total chaos".

"This is the desperate dying days of a party ripping itself apart, clearly totally out of ideas, lost any sense of leadership or direction," she told parliament.

G.Waters--TNT