Britain has avoided a potential £100 million payout to Rwanda after a legal challenge over the collapsed migrant deportation scheme was dismissed at The Hague, ending a dispute over one of the Conservative government’s most controversial immigration policies.
Rwanda had sought compensation from the UK after the Labour Government scrapped the deal, which had been designed to deter Channel crossings by sending asylum seekers to Kigali for processing and resettlement.
The African state argued that Britain had breached its obligations under the agreement and should pay outstanding sums, along with additional compensation for costs incurred in preparing the scheme.
But in a ruling that will be welcomed in Whitehall, British lawyers successfully argued that no further payments were due following the policy’s termination after the 2024 general election.
They told the court it was “entirely logical” that the arrangement would be abandoned by a new government and insisted it was “simple common sense” that Britain could not be held liable for future instalments.
The court ultimately dismissed Rwanda’s claim, which had included demands for more than £100 million, as well as an additional £6 million in compensation and interest.
The dispute centred on the now-abandoned scheme first unveiled by the former Conservative government, which aimed to relocate migrants who arrived illegally in the UK to Rwanda for asylum processing.
Despite costing an estimated £700 million in preparation and payments, the programme resulted in only four volunteer relocations before Labour, after taking office, effectively halted it.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had made clear his opposition to the policy, declaring shortly after entering Downing Street in 2024 that “the Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started.”
Rwanda’s Justice Minister and Attorney General Emmanuel Ugirashebuja told the court that his government had incurred significant costs in anticipation of the partnership and accused Britain of abandoning its commitments without proper notice.
He also claimed Kigali only learned of the policy’s cancellation through media reports, leaving Rwandan officials “left to read about this development in the media”.
In its filing, Rwanda asked the court to find the UK in breach of the agreement and award financial damages, or alternatively issue a formal apology.
British officials, however, rejected any liability, insisting Rwanda was “not entitled to any of the forms of relief it seeks”.
The ruling brings an end to a politically charged legal battle over a scheme that became emblematic of the previous government’s efforts to curb irregular migration across the English Channel.
For ministers, the outcome removes a potentially costly financial obligation linked to a policy already consigned to history, while closing a diplomatic dispute that had lingered since Labour entered office.
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