London [UK], June 30: The British government will seek to appeal against a ruling that its plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda are unlawful, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he "fundamentally" disagrees with the decision.
In a majority decision on Thursday, judges at the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling that previously said the east African nation could be considered a "safe third country". The Court of Appeal's decision was announced by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett during a short hearing in London, where he stressed the court reached its conclusion on the law and took "no view whatever" about the political merits of the policy.
In a statement, the British premier said: "While I respect the court I fundamentally disagree with their conclusions. "I strongly believe the Rwandan government has provided the assurances necessary to ensure there is no real risk that asylum-seekers relocated under the Rwanda policy would be wrongly returned to third countries - something that the Lord Chief Justice agrees with.
"Rwanda is a safe country. The High Court agreed. The UNHCR have their own refugee scheme for Libyan refugees in Rwanda. We will now seek permission to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court.
"The policy of this government is very simple, it is this country - and your government - who should decide who comes here, not criminal gangs. And I will do whatever is necessary to make that happen." This was echoed by Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who said she was "fully committed" to the policy.
The Home Secretary said in a statement: "The British people want to stop the boats, and so does this Government. That's what I am determined to deliver and I won't take a backward step from that.
"We need innovative solutions to smash the business model of the people smuggling gangs, which is why we formed this partnership with Rwanda.
"The Court of Appeal have been clear that the policy of relocating asylum seekers to a safe third country for the processing of their claims is in line with the Refugee Convention.
"While we are disappointed with their ruling in relation to Rwanda's asylum system, I will be seeking permission to appeal this.
"I remain fully committed to this policy as does the Rwandan government."In his summary of the court's decision, Lord Burnett said there was a "deliberately tight timetable" to decide the consequences of the ruling, in part so any bid to for the go-ahead for a Supreme Court challenge "can be decided promptly".
In the 161-page ruling following the appeal in April, Sir Geoffrey Vos and Lord Justice Underhill concluded that deficiencies in the asylum system in Rwanda mean there is a "real risk" asylum seekers could be returned to their home country and face persecution or other inhumane treatment when they may have a good claim for asylum.
Source: Qatar Tribune