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- The UK's governing Conservative Party won a vote to keep the cost of the Rwanda deal private.
- The opposition Labour Party argued that the money spent on Rwanda should be made public.
- Next week, the UK Parliament is due to debate legislation on the Rwanda plan.
On Tuesday, the UK's ruling Conservative Party won a battle to keep the cost of a deportation deal with Rwanda secret, while the Labour Party insisted that it could be north of R9.4 billion (£400 million).
The Labour Party had tabled a motion, calling for transparency, so that all paperwork and the cost of the scheme would be made public.
The UK government hopes that by sending to Rwanda those who seek asylum in the UK, it can reduce the inflow of asylum seekers.
The attempt to make public the details, such as the exact incentives to Rwanda, fell flat after parliamentarians voted by 304 to 228 against the Labour motion.
Labour's shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper was at the forefront of calling for transparency beyond what she called an "exchange frankly for a series of press releases," as quoted in the Hansard.
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She added that the government was acting in bad faith because when it came to the deal with France to fund a detention centre, coastal patrols, drones and technology to tackle irregular migration, the costs were made public.
"In other areas, the government has told us the facts. In March 2023, the prime minister announced £476 million over three years for the agreement with France. It was set out in detail, with £124 million in 2023/24, £168 million in 2024/25, and £184 million in 2025/26. We know what the future spending will be on that agreement with France, so why not tell us the future spending agreed with Rwanda?" she asked.
Cooper also sought clarity on who would pay for the refugees taken from Rwanda by the UK - because the UK would be paying Rwanda to take in its refugees.
"It is true the Rwanda treaty that has been agreed upon states that first the United Kingdom will need to take some refugees from Rwanda, but it does not specify who will pay for those refugees. We know that people who are transferred to Rwanda will be paid for by the UK taxpayer," she said.
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Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn added that the money sent to Rwanda could have been used in Europe to help those who fled their countries instead of sending the money to Rwanda for a deal that was suspicious.
"Instead of spending this vast amount of money on a failed Rwanda scheme, Britain and the other European governments ought to be thinking about the numbers of people, many from Afghanistan, who are leading a marginal existence, in desperate poverty and freezing to death, on the streets of Calais and other cities around Europe?
Corbyn said:
Next week, Parliament will discuss the Rwanda deal.
Already there's division within the Conservatives. Some argue the bill, in its current form, will not pass because it fails to block a "merry-go-round" of appeals by individuals.
Under the legislation, the UK will declare Rwanda as a safe destination for refugees and, at the same time, give ministers power to ignore emergency orders from the European Court of Human Rights.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
