Senior Tory slams Braverman's Rwanda scheme after report claiming it will cost £169k per migrant

27 June 2023, 08:53

Caroline Noakes has criticised the Rwanda scheme as expensive and inappropriate
Caroline Noakes has criticised the Rwanda scheme as expensive and inappropriate. Picture: Alamy/Getty

By Chay Quinn

Senior Tory MP Caroline Noakes has hit out at Suella Braverman's Rwanda scheme after it was revealed that the cost of the deportations will be as much as £169,000 per asylum seeker.

The Chair of the Commons Women and Equalities Select Committee hit out as the plans on LBC News, blasting the plans as "expensive" and inappropriate.

New data from the Home Office show the cost of sending one migrant to Rwanda could cost the taxpayer as much as £169,000.

Ms Noakes said: "I've never supported the scheme to remove people to Rwanda for their asylum claim to be determined within the Rwandan system.

Noakes added: "I don't think this is an appropriate mechanism but I think what these figures have shown us is something I have argued all along: it is extremely expensive, and I am far from convinced that the British taxpayer is going to get value for money from a scheme which has seen millions paid to the Rwandan government so far without a single person being removed with additional costs for a chartered plane which never took off, or the court costs as this goes through the legal process."

The data was published in an economic impact assessment from the Home Office on the Illegal Immigration Bill, which was introduced to stop small boat crossings “by detaining and swiftly removing people who make dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK”.

Read More: 'Just give them half and they'll go away happy': Nick Ferrari reacts to Rwanda plan £170k per migrant cost

Read More: Tory fury as civil servants threaten strike as they ‘fear being forced to break the law’ over Rwanda policy

It would cost up to £169,000 to relocate every migrant under the Bill, which would include flights, detention and a £105,000 payment to Rwanda per person.

"I have always thought this was a flawed scheme, and the Home Office's own figures that are out today show us just how expensive it is going to be," Noakes concluded.

The report also found that nearly two in five people would need to be deterred from crossing the Channel, at 37%, in order for the Bill to break even.

Caroline Noakes slammed the plans in the wake of a damaging report into the cost of the Rwanda scheme
Caroline Noakes slammed the plans in the wake of a damaging report into the cost of the Rwanda scheme. Picture: Getty

But according to the Home Office, successfully deterring one migrant from crossing over to the UK through the new policy could save between £106,000 and £165,000.

However, the report did note that: “The Bill is a novel and untested scheme, and it is therefore uncertain what level of deterrence impact it will have.”

It also highlighted agreement from academics that there is “little to no evidence” that policy changes act as an effective deterrent to migrants.

This contradicted other evidence in the assessment, from countries such as Australia, which suggested there is a “stronger basis” to believe policy change could act as a deterrent.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said of the findings: “Our Impact Assessment shows that doing nothing is not an option.  “We cannot allow a system to continue which incentivises people to risk their lives and pay people smugglers to come to this country illegally, while placing an unacceptable strain on the UK taxpayer. 

“I urge MPs and Peers to back the Bill to stop the boats, so we can crack down on people smuggling gangs while bringing our asylum system back into balance.”

Read more: Rishi Sunak says 'people may not like' his decisions' but they will be 'right and responsible'

Read more: Households face £170 net-zero green levy within days as government funding ends

Suella Braverman has called on Parliament to back the Bill.
Suella Braverman has called on Parliament to back the Bill. Picture: Alamy

The SNP’s Home Affairs spokesperson, Alison Thewliss MP slammed the report’s findings, as she said: “The astronomical cost of this policy adds an extra layer of disgust in those already opposed to these plans.

“At a time where so many are forced to flee persecution and unimaginable terrors it speaks to the inhumane priorities of the Tories that they would seek to enforce this.

“Especially as for tens of millions across the UK mortgages, energy bills, and food prices continue to soar, all while the UK government does nothing.

“The Tories are happy to spend billions deporting desperate people but not to help them with basic living costs.”

The report comes after Ms Braverman’s plans to house asylum seekers on barges were branded “unworkable” after she missed her own target to introduce the first vessel this week.

She promised MPs that the Bibby Stockholm, an accommodation vessel with a capacity to house around 500 people, would be in the Dorset dock a week ago.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: "This seems to be another case of Home Office policy by press release that is failing to materialise.

"Braverman's plan for a barge on the Dorset coast is an unworkable plan that is wasting time and money, much like all of this Government's asylum policy."

The Illegal Migration Bill is scheduled to return to the House of Lords on Thursday.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Labour divided over assisted dying as MP who introduced bill hits out at Health Secretary

Labour divided over assisted dying bill as MP tabling legislation labels Wes Streeting's objections 'disappointing'

Reverend Sue Colman was asked to step back after the Makin Report found her and her husband Jason knew about John Smyth's abuse and failed to act

Mustard heir and Church of England minister wife step back from church roles after damning abuse report

File photo of Broadway Market, where the attack took place

Horror as 'man doused in bleach' in busy Hackney market with manhunt underway and attacker still at loose

Former Met Police officer David Carrick pleads not guilty to string of sex attacks including indecent assault against teen

Former Met Police officer David Carrick pleads not guilty to sex attacks including indecent assault against teen

Jack Bradley took part in the failed ram raid

Moment drug addict in 4x4 rams Tesco superstore in failed bid to steal safe, with terrified staff still inside shop

ZM712, a Boeing Apache AH2 operated by the UK's Army Air Corps, departing from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England after participating in the Royal International Air Tattoo 2024 (RIAT24).

Drunken soldiers caught during Apache cockpit romp spark military safety review

Eva Longoria, a Texas native, has said she is 'done' with the US after Trump's second election win

Eva Longoria reveals she has fled 'dystopian' America as Trump names radical right wing cabinet

Dog-free zones should be introduced to tackle racism, the Welsh government has been told.

Dog-free zones needed in countryside to tackle racism, Welsh government told

A 'major' suspected people smugger has been arrested in Amsterdam

'Major' Turkish supplier of small boats for Channel migrant crossings arrested as 'British FBI' swoop in airport

Clifton Suspension Bridge has quit Elon Musk's X after 15 years on the site.

Clifton suspension bridge dramatically departs from Twitter sparking wave of online jokes

Exclusive
Students take gap years and ‘neglect studies’ as survey suggests Edinburgh rents skyrocketed by nearly two thirds in a year.

Students take gap years and ‘neglect studies’ as survey suggests Edinburgh rents skyrocketed by nearly two thirds in a year

Two Just Stop Oil protesters charged over June's incident

Two Just Stop Oil activists charged after orange paint thrown over Stonehenge

Man arrested after reports of person carrying knives outside Houses of Parliament

Man charged with carrying offensive weapons after 'knife' incident near Parliament

Exclusive
Michael Harris died in an e-scooter crash

'My best friend was killed in an e-scooter crash - I'm urging the government not to legalise them for use on roads'

Hilkiah McLeggan, 77, from Southwark, was pronounced dead at the scene in East Street, Walworth.

First picture of Walworth market 'knife rampage' victim as suspect appears in court

Police at Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage where three people died and seven people were taken to hospital

Woman arrested over Dorset care home deaths released without charge