British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has placed a £1,000 bet about migrant deportations to Rwanda in the coming months. The Tory leader insisted during a recent interview with TV host Piers Morgan that the first flights would take off within the year before the UK general election. The initiative has been termed ‘inhumane and impractical’ by rights groups and faces stiff opposition in Parliament. An earlier version of the Rwanda bill was declared ‘unlawful’ by the Supreme Court in mid-November.
“I’ll bet you 1000 for a refugee charity you won’t get anyone on those planes before the election. Would you make that bet?” presenter Piers Morgan asks during a conversation broadcast on the Uncensored YouTube channel.
Sunak can be seen smiling during the question, before insisting he wanted to “get people on board”. The two shook hands to cement their agreement as the Prime Minister reiterated his efforts to “get people on board”.
The new policy is key to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” bringing unauthorized migrants to Britain. Asylum seekers would be permanently transferred to the East African nation if the Rwanda bill is approved – a move that Sunak and his supporters insist will deter people from making the risky journey and disrupt the business models of human-trafficking gangs. Will break.
The plan – deemed illegal by the UK Supreme Court in November because Rwanda is not a safe country for refugees – has also divided the Tory party. Sunak is determined to implement the policy amid pressure from right-wing MPs in his Conservative Party and growing concern from voters about asylum seekers arriving without permission. However, as the tussle continues, party leaders are beginning to fear losing their seats in the next elections. The British-Indian leader has also seen his popularity decline in recent months, falling just below that of Boris Johnson at the end of his premiership and Liz Truss in her 49 disastrous days in office.
(with inputs from agencies)
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Published: 06 February 2024, 03:15 am IST
