Rishi Sunak forced Boris Johnson to scrap Rwanda plan — report

Rishi Sunak has vowed to continue the Rwanda plan announced by Boris Johnson. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Rishi Sunak was unsure of the government's scheme. Sending migrants to Rwanda would have stopped the canal crossing when he was chancellor, documents show.

The BBC said it had seen No. 10 newspapers from March 2022, a month before the plan was announced by the then prime minister Boris. Johnson, which showed Mr Sunak was not convinced the plan would work.

Mr Sunak, who became prime minister in October 2022, has made the Rwanda plan one of his top priorities despite a string of delays due to legal challenges.

Documents show Mr Sunak believed that «hotels are cheaper» than migrant reception centers and that he was also concerned about the cost of sending asylum seekers to Africa and wanted to limit their numbers.

According to the BBC, the documents showed that «the Chancellor wants to go for smaller volumes initially» with 500 aircraft sent to Rwanda in the first year of the scheme instead of the proposed 1,500.

He is then said to have proposed «3,000 instead of 5,000 in for several years.» two and three.”

He is convinced that “containment will not work.”

The documents, which number 10 say Mr Sunak needs to «consider his popularity with the base» compared to the Rwanda plan, say the then chancellor was reluctant to fund £3.5m «Greek-style reception centres» sterling per day to accommodate migrants in hotels.

Mr Sunak has vowed to continue the plan to fly migrants to Rwanda despite a UK Supreme Court ruling that it is illegal, while the BBC reported that a source close to the Prime Minister said he is «always fully committed to the principles of the scheme» but needs to ensure the money is «spent accordingly» in his role as Chancellor.

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC: «Prime Minister the minister knew the plan was incredibly expensive and would not work, and resisted it while he was chancellor.

“But he is so weak that he has now agreed to write checks to Rwanda for £400 million without sending anything there. one man in a desperate bid to consolidate his leadership.»

Mr Sunak on Tuesday reiterated his support for the Rwanda plan, saying: «I am focused on delivering on my commitment to stop ships and ground flights to Rwanda.» .