Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Charities say UK’s Rwanda plans impact health of asylum seekers

Charities say UK’s Rwanda plans impact health of asylum seekers

TWO major charities have raised red flags over Britain’s controversial plans to deport unauthorised immigrants reaching its shores to Rwanda.

Under the new scheme announced by prime minister Boris Johnson, people claiming asylum in the UK are to be relocated to Rwanda, where their cases will be processed. If they are granted asylum, they will be encouraged to remain in the African country for at least five years.

According to the British Red Cross and the Refugee Council, the government move is already having a “detrimental impact” on the physical and psychological health of people seeking asylum in the UK.

Having collectively worked with nearly 44,000 people at all stages of the asylum process last year, the organisations warned that existing problems with the asylum system are “already getting worse” as people are reluctant to claim support “for fear of deportation, detention and other harsh measures”.

In a joint statement, the charities said they are also hearing stories about people disappearing from hotels and cited the example of a Rwandan asylum seeker who said he would abstain from accessing support for fear that he could be deported back to the country he fled.

The focus on trying to send people to Rwanda will do nothing to speed up asylum decision making, with many people now having to wait for longer than a year before they get a decision, the charities said.

They also point to measures in the new Nationality and Borders Act, such as the limiting of family reunion rights and shorter periods of leave for some, as likely drivers of feelings of insecurity.

British Red Cross chief executive Mike Adamson said: “We are hearing directly from many people seeking asylum of the distress and anxiety recent announcements have provoked, even though they may not be directly impacted by them”.

“As a result of the measures in the Nationality and Border’s Act, alongside the recent announcement to remove people to Rwanda on a one-way ticket, people are telling us that they feel less safe and less welcome in the UK”.

Refugee Council CEO Enver Solomon urged the government to rethink its plans and focus on operating an “orderly, humane and fair asylum system."

“These are men, women and children who have already endured so much trauma and upheaval. These new measures fail to address the reasons people take perilous journeys to the UK, and so will do little to deter people from coming but only create more human suffering, distress, and chaos with dangerous, far-reaching consequences for vulnerable people who are simply in need of safety,” Solomon said.

More For You

british-muslims-iStock

The study noted that this identification was not due to any doctrinal obligation but was influenced by the perception that many Muslims do not feel fully accepted as British. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Majority of British Muslims identify by faith first, study finds

A STUDY by the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life (IIFL) has found that most British Muslims identify primarily with their religion rather than their nationality.

The research, based on a survey of 815 British Muslim adults by Whitestone Insight, revealed that 71 per cent of respondents identified as Muslim first, while 27 per cent identified as British, English, or Scottish first.

Keep ReadingShow less
Car Tax Changes: EV Owners Now Required to Pay for the First Time

Owners of electric vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2025 will pay £10 for the first year, followed by the standard VED rate of £195 from the second year. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Car tax changes take effect: EV owners to pay for first time

FROM today, 1 April 2025, electric cars, vans, and motorcycles in the UK will be subject to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for the first time.

The change, introduced in the 2022 Autumn Statement by former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, aims to make motoring taxation fairer.

Keep ReadingShow less
scotland-minimum-wages-iStock

Full-time workers on the National Living Wage will receive an annual pay increase of £1,400 in real terms. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

Wage increase takes effect for thousands of workers in Scotland

HUNDREDS of thousands of workers in Scotland will see a pay increase as new National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates take effect from Tuesday.

The changes will benefit approximately 220,000 people, according to STV News.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased (Representational image: iStock)

iStock

April bill increases put financial strain on single parents

A RANGE of essential household bills are increasing from April, with Citizens Advice warning that single parents will be among the hardest hit.

Water bills, energy prices, and council tax are rising, while the minimum wage has also increased, BBC reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools
Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper in 'Adolescence'
Netflix

Netflix drama Adolescence to be screened in UK schools

THE NETFLIX drama Adolescence will be shown in UK secondary schools as part of efforts to address harmful online influences on young boys, officials announced on Monday.

The show has sparked debate over the impact of toxic and misogynistic content on the internet. Prime minister Keir Starmer met the show's creators, charities, and young people at Downing Street, calling the initiative an important step in starting discussions about the content teenagers are exposed to online.

Keep ReadingShow less