UK wins court case over collapsed Rwanda asylum deal

The UK will not have to pay Rwanda millions of pounds over the collapsed asylum agreement that was cancelled by Keir Starmer shortly after he took office, an international court has ruled.

The Rwandan government had sought to sue the UK for more than £100m, saying it had breached the terms of the deal.

Signed by the previous Conservative government, it was meant to see the UK pay Rwanda to host asylum seekers who had arrived illegally in the UK.

Lawyers representing the UK during the three-day hearing in the Netherlands had argued that it was "entirely logical" the plan would be scrapped when Labour came to power and "simple common sense" that no further payments would be due.

They also denied the UK breached parts of the deal.

"Rwanda is not entitled to any of the forms of relief it seeks," they told the Hague's Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak introduced the scheme as a deterrent to those looking to illegally cross the English Channel in small boats.

The plan had first been announced in 2022 by then-prime minister Boris Johnson but faced challenges both in the courts and in Parliament.

Dropping the scheme was one of Labour's manifesto pledges ahead of the 2024 general election, and when Starmer came into office he declared the plan "dead and buried".

Responding to the court's decision, a government spokesperson said the UK had "robustly" defended its position.

They said the government was "focused on delivering vital reforms to restore order and control to our borders, including removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain and scaling up removals of those with no right to be here".