Liz Truss has said she will extend the controversial Rwanda asylum scheme in a move to firm up support among Tory party voters in the race to succeed Boris Johnson.
The foreign secretary, in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, suggested that as prime minister she would extend the Rwanda policy, despite it currently being in legal limbo.
The African nation had originally agreed to take up to 1,000 migrants from the UK, but the government has now said only one hotel, Hope Hostel in Kigali, is prepared to receive migrants but has a maximum capacity of 200 people.
Britain currently stands to lose £120 million it has paid to Rwanda if the plan to deport migrants is ruled unlawful by the courts.
So to ensure we know how much she wants to send humans to Rwanda against their will, Truss told the Mail On Sunday: “The Rwanda policy is the right policy. I’m determined to see it through to full implementation, as well as exploring other countries that we can work on similar partnerships with. It’s the right thing to do.
“I’m also determined to make sure that we have the right level of forces at our border. I’m going to increase the border force to make sure that we have the proper protection in place directly at the border.”
The story was used on the paper’s front page.
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Not everyone is as keen at sending people to Rwanda as the government and seemingly Truss are…
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Related: Rwanda can accommodate just 200 Channel migrants, government officials say