Rishi Sunak - The African Mirror

Jul

06

2024

New British Prime Minister’s pledge to his people

WORLD

BRITAIN’S new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to rebuild the country following years of political turmoil. In his first address outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer acknowledged the significant challenges ahead after his Labour Party's landslide victory in the parliamentary election, which ended 14 years of Conservative rule. Reuters reports that Starmer emphasized the need to rebuild trust in politics, stating, "This lack of trust can only be healed by actions, not words." He promised that his government would serve all citizens, regardless of how they voted. The news agency describes scenes reminiscent of Tony Blair's 1997 arrival, with Starmer…

May

24

2024

By MICHAEL HOLDEN and ANDREW MACASKILL

With no flights before election, UK’s Rwanda migrant scheme may never get off ground

NEWS

THE controversial plan to fly thousands of asylum seekers from Britain to Rwanda may never get off the ground after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that there would be no deportations before a national election in July. After taking office in October 2022, Sunak made the plan to send migrants who arrived in Britain without permission to the East African nation one of his flagship policies, saying it would put an end to thousands of asylum seekers coming on small boats across the Channel. In April, Sunak promised the first flights would take off in the next 10 to 12 weeks after parliament…

May

24

2024

By The African Mirror

Sunak and Starmer hit UK campaign trail after shock election call

WORLD

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Labour Party rival Keir Starmer kicked off their election campaigns, each arguing that only they can snap the country out of its economic and political malaise. Sunak, whose Conservatives have trailed Labour by around 20 percentage points in opinion polls since he became prime minister in October 2022, shocked and angered many in his party when he gambled by calling a July 4 election, months earlier than expected. He argued on Thursday that the economy was turning a corner and he had a plan to tackle illegal immigration. But with prices in the shops up…

May

04

2024

By The African Mirror

Dozens arrested after London protest blocking removal of asylum seekers

WORLD

BRITISH police arrested 45 people during a protest in London against the transfer of asylum seekers staying in a hotel to a barge off southern England. Dozens of protesters outside the hotel in Peckham, southeast London, attempted to stop a bus carrying the asylum seekers from leaving, reportedly deflating its tyres and obstructing the vehicle by surrounding it, London's Metropolitan Police said. Tackling illegal migration is one of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's top priorities, and in order to bring down the high costs of accommodating migrants in hotels while their asylum claims are processed, the government has been trying…

May

02

2024

By The African Mirror

UK begins detaining migrants set to be deported to Rwanda

NEWS

BRITISH authorities have started to detain migrants in preparation for them to be sent to Rwanda in the next nine to 11 weeks, the government said, laying the groundwork for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's flagship immigration policy. Parliament last month approved a law that paves the way for sending asylum seekers to Rwanda if they arrive in Britain without permission. Sunak, who is expected to call an election later this year in which illegal migration is likely to feature prominently, wants the first flights to take off in July. More than 7,500 migrants have arrived in England on small boats from France…

Apr

28

2024

By PHILBERT GIRINEMA

Let us press on with UK migrant plan, Rwanda tells critics

NEWS

RWANDAN President Paul Kagame's government said that it would take as many migrants as Britain sends its way and urged "shouting" critics of the deportation plan to now let both nations proceed. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak expects first flights to leave in 10-12 weeks after parliament passed legislation this week to sidestep legal objections that the migrants could be sent back to nations where they may face mistreatment. "No matter what number is announced to arrive here tomorrow or after tomorrow ... we are capable of receiving them," deputy government spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda told Reuters, adding that Rwanda did not yet know dates…

Apr

26

2024

By LUCY MIDDLETON

Is Rwanda a safe place to send LGBTQ+ asylum seekers from the UK?

LGBTQIA+

LGBTQ+ rights groups are concerned that gay, bisexual, and transgender refugees could face discrimination and abuse if they are sent to Rwanda under Britain's policy to deport asylum seekers to the East African nation. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks as the upper house of parliament finally passed the required legislation, delayed for weeks by attempts to alter the contentious plan. As LGBTQ+ rights groups criticise the plan, Illegal Migration Minister Michael Tomlinson said on Tuesday that "openly gay" asylum seekers would be sent to Rwanda. "It is not unlawful to be…

Apr

27

2024

By The African Mirror

Ireland says UK’s Rwanda policy drives migrants over its border

WORLD

THE threat of deportation to Rwanda is causing migrants to head for Ireland instead of staying in Britain, Ireland's deputy prime minister told a British newspaper on Friday. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's flagship programme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda if they arrive in Britain illegally was approved by parliament earlier this week and the government wants the first flights to take off in 10-12 weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Micheal Martin told The Daily Telegraph that the policy was already affecting Ireland because people were "fearful" of staying in Britain. He said asylum seekers were seeking "to get sanctuary here and…

Apr

26

2024

By NITA BHALLA and LIN TAYLOR

UK’s Rwanda plan: Which other nations send asylum seekers abroad?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

THE British parliament has passed a divisive law to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promising that flights will take off by July, but legal hurdles could yet hold up or delay the policy. The "Safety of Rwanda" bill aims to cut immigration by deterring migrants from arriving without permission, but refugee rights groups say it criminalises genuine asylum seekers, and Britain's Supreme Court ruled last year that the East African nation was not a safe country to send people. Sunak has invested huge political capital in the Rwanda scheme, promising that it will stop tens of thousands of people arriving without…

Apr

25

2024

By MICHAEL HOLDEN

What is UK’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks after parliament passed much-delayed legislation to facilitate the deportation of those arriving in Britain without permission. Last November, the Supreme Court declared the policy unlawful but Sunak says the new law overrides any legal concerns and will thus fulfil his pledge to stop people arriving across the Channel in small boats. Here are details about the plan and the migration issue: WHY IS IMMIGRATION SUCH AN ISSUE IN BRITAIN? Taking back control of Britain's borders and ending the free movement of people into the…