BBC Host Spars With Flustered Tory Minister After Admission Torture Victims Can Be Deported To Rwanda

Illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson’s car crash press round on Tuesday morning continued after he let slip that that even victims of torture and human trafficking are set for deportation to Rwanda under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s aggressive new immigration clampdown.

The revelation emerged as Tomlinson sparred with Today host Mishal Husain on BBC Radio 4, following the passing of the controversial Safety of Rwanda Bill in Commons, which the government hopes will deter desperate migrants from taking the risky journey across the channel.

Husain pressed Tomlinson, who normally remains safely and tediously on message, whether exemptions would apply to particularly vulnerable asylum seekers.

“If you’re a victim of torture, can you still be removed under this?” she asked.

Tomlinson’s response was chillingly bureaucratic: “Rwanda is a safe country and yes, it will be possible to remove those to Rwanda.”

Husain asked: “Understood. So any victim of torture, no point applying on that basis. Victim of trafficking?”

The minister’s reply was no less inflexible, reiterating: “Rwanda is a safe country, Mishal.”

The conversation escalated as Husain aimed to challenge the sweeping nature of the bill, as Tomlinson grew increasingly flustered: “This is rather frustrating. You’ve asked me a question. You could ask me a series of questions: could you do this challenge, could you do that. You could ask me an infinite number of challenges. You’re not going to get that clarity because the Act hasn’t yet come into force.”

“You’re trying to stop the legal challenges, aren’t you?” Husain suggested, highlighting that even migrants with the most traumatic background will not exempt them from deportation.

Tomlinson stood firm, stating defiantly: “We will meet them and the planes will take off.”

Listen above on BBC Radio 4’s Today show.

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