Sunak says ‘enough is enough’ as he vows to ignore ECHR over Rwanda flights
Rishi Sunak says “enough is enough” as he vowed to ignore the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if it tried to ground deportation flights to Rwanda.
The Prime Minister signalled that he was willing to go ahead with the flights even if Strasbourg judges issued a Rule 39 injunction in an attempt to prevent their departure.
“I have been very clear that I won’t let a foreign court block our ability to put people on planes and send them to Rwanda,” Mr Sunak told LBC.
“We are reasonable people trying to do a reasonable thing. I’ve come at this very reasonably. We’ve worked hard, we’ve got the numbers down, we’ve done everything right, we’ve passed new laws through Parliament, we’ve addressed everyone’s concerns, but at this point enough is enough.”
His Government has taken powers in the Safety of Rwanda Bill to allow ministers to ignore a Rule 39 injunction, one of which was issued in June 2022 to block the first flight to the central African state.
However, there have been concerns raised by critics that the Government’s own legal advice says that such injunctions are binding and pro-ECHR ministers could quit if the Prime Minister ignored the court.
The Bill and allied new Treaty with Rwanda aims to answer the criticisms by the Supreme Court that Rwanda was unsafe, which would mean migrants would be unlawfully at risk of being returned to countries where they could face persecution.
‘Security of our borders’
Mr Sunak has previously hinted that he would be willing to withdraw from the ECHR if Strasbourg judges blocked the Government’s Rwanda plan.
Asked if leaving the ECHR could be in the Tory general election manifesto, the Prime Minister told LBC: “I am not going to get into the manifesto but I can be very clear, and I have been repeatedly, that I am determined to see this policy through because I think it is really important for the country, for the security of our borders, for fairness.”
Mr Sunak is hoping to get the first flights off to Rwanda this spring to provide a deterrent to further Channel crossings as part of his key pledge to “stop the boats”.
The Bill will return to the Commons next Monday after being delayed by the Lords inflicting a series of defeats on the Government, forcing ministers into parliamentary ping-pong with the Upper House to secure the passage of the legislation.
