British PM Sunak's Rwanda scheme set to pass parliament but challenges await

15/4/2024 12:23

        The British parliament is set to finally approve a divisive law this week to pave the way for asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda, but further legal
        hurdles could yet hold up or derail one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's key policies.
        
        Sunak has invested huge political capital in the Rwanda scheme whose success or failure might be crucial to his Conservative party's fortunes in an upcoming election, given his promise it will stop tens of thousands of people arriving without permission in small boats across the Channel.
        
        The new legislation is poised to get lawmakers' approval, unamended, by the end of the week. But whether the Rwanda scheme does finally get off the ground by the middle of the year as Sunak has promised remains far from certain.
        
        "In our view, the legislation is utterly performative," said Paul O’Connell from the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union which has previously brought lawsuits over the policy and is preparing further action.