Rwanda demands Britain pay £50m in taxpayer cash for failed migrant deportation scheme

Rwanda has demanded an additional £50 million from the British taxpayer following the cancellation of the migrant deportation scheme.

The east African nation claims the UK is “legally bound” to pay this sum despite the scheme being scrapped.

A UK Government spokesman has disputed this claim, stating that diplomatic agreements already signed meant Rwanda had “waived any additional payment”.

It comes as small-boat migrants reaching Britain under Labour have increased by 26 per cent, according to Home Office figures.

Sunday saw 592 people cross the Channel – the highest daily total since mid-December.

This surge comes as the Government faces criticism over its handling of migration policy.

The weekend crossings represent an unusually high number for early March, with similar peaks typically not occurring until mid-April or May in previous years.

The weekend saw a total of 660 migrants cross the Channel, with 68 arriving on Saturday followed by 592 on Sunday across 11 dinghies.

This brings the total number of migrants who have reached Britain since the general election to 25,958.

This figure represents a 26 per cent increase compared to the equivalent period in 2023-24.

A Home Office source noted that “it was always likely that the first day of sunshine and calm seas would bring a surge” in crossings.

One of Labour’s first acts in office was scrapping the Tories’ Rwanda asylum deal, which was designed to deter migrants from crossing the Channel.

The Government has instead shifted focus to law-enforcement measures targeting human-trafficking gangs.

This policy change has become a point of contention as crossing numbers continue to rise.

Relations between Rwanda and the UK have soured after Kigali accused Lord Collins, the minister for Africa, of making “inflammatory and irresponsible” comments.

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The dispute centres on Lord Collins suggesting Rwanda was linked with an attack on a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo by an Islamic State-related group called ADF.

The Rwandan government claimed these remarks breached trust between the two nations.

This diplomatic tension directly prompted Rwanda’s demand for the additional £50 million payment.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has criticised the government’s approach to Channel crossings.

“Labour made a catastrophic mistake by cancelling Rwanda before it even started,” he said.

The opposition continues to argue that the Rwanda policy would have served as an effective deterrent.

A Home Office source acknowledged the weather’s impact but emphasised longer-term concerns.

“After seven years of these crossings we need to get to a position where our border security is no longer dependent on the weather,” they said.