Kay Burley skewered defence secretary Grant Shapps over the safety of the government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda on Monday morning.
Ahead of a parliamentary vote on the safety of Rwanda – part of a bill which aims to deport asylum seekers who arrive via so-called “illegal” means – later this week, the Sky News presenter noted that the UK has actually offered asylum to people from the east African countr recently.
Burley said: “You say Rwanda is a safe place to send people, but the British government has granted asylum to six more people from Rwanda, [and is] considering asylum claims from others as well.
“If it’s a safe place to send people, why are we allowing people to come here to seek asylum from Rwanda?”
“Well, look, I don’t know the specifics of those cases,” Shapps replied.
“What I do know is the UN sent people to Rwanda, and the UN do it without all the different security measures or reassurance measures we are putting in place with Rwanda,” he continued. “If it’s good enough for the UN, it’s good enough for the UK.”
However, Burley pointed out to the minister that the UN only uses Rwanda as a halfway house “as you know.”
The UN has repeatedly opposed the UK scheme. In April 2022, the UNHCR said: “Such arrangements simply shift asylum responsibilities, evade international obligations, and are contrary to the letter and spirit of the Refugee Convention.”
Back on Sky News, Burley asked the minister if he was “surprised” the UK had offered those people asylum.
Shapps side-stepped the question and said he needed to know the details before commenting – but he again noted: “What I do know is that the UN send people to Rwanda.”
The controversial Rwanda bill has become a flagship policy for PM Rishi Sunak, and part of his plan to “stop the boats” – but not a single person has yet been deported to Rwanda.
It passed through the first major stage in the Commons before Christmas and is now up for further debate on Tuesday.
The government claims it will deter more people from crossing the English Channel.
But, the Supreme Court has previously declared the policy to be unlawful, because it could mean vulnerable people are deported back to their home countries, where they could face further harm.
The government has since amended the bill to declare Rwanda a safe country, but some Tory MPs still believe it does not go far enough – and there could be a right-wing rebellion in the Commons this week.