Rwanda Scheme Under Scrutiny as Escalating Costs Revealed

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under further pressure to save his controversial Rwanda plan after a senior civil servant revealed the government spent an additional £100 million in the last year, bringing the cost of the so-far unused scheme to £240 million. Earlier this week, Mr. Sunak gave a surprise press conference directly addressing the British public on his determination to “finish the job” with the scheme to deport illegal immigrants wishing to claim asylum to Rwanda, before the additional costs were revealed in a letter to the Public Accounts Committee. The Home Office’s senior civil servant Matthew Rycroft said in his letter that ministers had agreed he could disclose the payments “so far” in the financial year from 2023–24, revealing there had been one payment of £100 million as part of the Economic Transformation and Integration fund. In the year to 2023, £140 million has already been spent, with a further £50 million expected in the coming year....