‘Put Planes In The Air’: Tory Deputy Chair Says To ‘Ignore’ Supreme Court Rwanda Ruling

Lee Anderson MP during the Conservative Party Conference at Manchester Central Convention Complex, Manchester on Monday 2nd October 2023. (Photo by Pat Scaasi/MI News/NurPhoto via AP)

Conservative Party Deputy Chair and GB News host Lee Anderson said the government should ignore the Supreme Court’s ruling Wednesday that its Rwanda policy was unlawful and send asylum seekers back.

Speaking to Times journalist Aubrey Allegretti Wednesday, who asked his reaction to the ruling, Anderson said that ministers should go ahead and “put planes in the air” to Rwanda anyway.

When asked whether he was advocating the government ignore the ruling he said: “Ignore the laws and send them straight back.”

On Wednesday morning the UK Supreme Court upheld a previous ruling by the Court of Appeal, stating that the current policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda poses potential violations of human rights. This unanimous decision effectively halts the policy as it stands.

This judgement marks a significant milestone in the ongoing legal debate surrounding this contentious policy, first introduced by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in April 2022. The plan faced setbacks as early as June of the same year when flights were halted following the Court of Appeal’s determination of the policy’s illegality, citing insufficient human rights protections.

Central to the legal challenge is the principle of “non-refoulement,” a cornerstone of both UK and international human rights law. This principle mandates that individuals seeking asylum should not be forcibly returned to their countries of origin if they face the risk of harm there.

The case involved ten claimants who argued that the UK government had disregarded substantial evidence pointing to flaws and inconsistencies in Rwanda’s asylum procedures. The Supreme Court, comprising five justices, unanimously concurred with the Court of Appeal’s assessment, agreeing that a thorough evaluation of Rwanda’s safety as a destination for asylum seekers had not been conducted.

The Rwanda asylum policy was one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s core policy objectives. It leaves his so-called “stop-the-boats” pledge in tatters, on the day he claimed victory for having halved inflation — another key policy aim.

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