The UK has offered the Republic of Ireland the chance to join in on its controversial Rwanda scheme as a row between the two countries over asylum seeker returns continues to grow.
Irish lawmakers had kicked up a fuss over migrant arrivals over the Northern Irish border – plans had been in place to push through emergency legislation to send them back to the UK – but Taoiseach Simon Harris’s demands had been shot down by Rishi Sunak.
British politicians had highlighted the hypocrisy over EU member Ireland’s migrant complaints; Tory MP Sir John Redwood said: “As Britain has always been told, we cannot send migrants back to France and so how on earth do they think they could send migrants back to the UK?”
While others claimed the Irish response was indicative the Rwanda scheme was working – Rishi Sunak had told Sky News the situation on the Irish border proved it was “already having an impact because people are worried about coming here”.
A Downing Street source said: “If the Irish government believes the Rwanda plan is already having an effect, we can explore Ireland joining the Rwanda scheme”
PA
But now, the UK has extended an olive branch of participation in the scheme across the Irish Sea; a Downing Street source said: “If the Irish government believes the Rwanda plan is already having an effect, we can explore Ireland joining the Rwanda scheme.
“Many countries are looking at a third country now, which is why Sir Keir Starmer’s amnesty for 115,000 illegal immigrants a year is so shortsighted.”
Tensions were ratcheted up on Wednesday after Ireland proposed redeploying 100 officers to its border in order to stop asylum seekers coming through from the UK.
Irish ministers were keen to highlight that a staggering 90 per cent of asylum seekers who entered the Republic so far this year came across the northern border – though it should be noted that 500km of open sea sits between Ireland and France, compared to just 16 between Britain and France at the English Channel’s narrowest point.
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Rishi Sunak had told Sky News the situation on the Irish border proved the Rwanda scheme was “already having an impact because people are worried about coming here”
PA
Ireland’s immigration worries come as the country faces record-breaking levels of asylum claims – as well as a housing crisis.
More than 6,000 people had applied for asylum in the country by April 12 this year; if arrivals continue at the same rate, Ireland would see 20,000 claims by the year’s end – beating its previous record of 13,000 in 2004.
Simon Harris and Irish justice minister, Helen McEntee, have argued that an Brexit-linked memorandum of understanding – with Ireland has refused to publish – binds the UK into accepting refugees back into its own asylum system from Ireland.
And despite the Taoiseach’s declaration that the Republic would not “provide a loophole” for other countries’ migration “challenges”, the UK sees any “understanding” of the sort as non-binding.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said last week: “Even if Ireland was to pass legislation, it is up to the UK Government to decide who we do and don’t accept into the country and, clearly, we aren’t going to start accepting returns from the EU just as the EU doesn’t accept asylum returns from the UK to France.”
But Harris said: “There’s an agreement in place between Ireland and Britain. This is a two-way agreement.
“This is to ensure that refugees can be sent in both directions if their application is inadmissible.
“We will have a legitimate expectation that agreements between two countries are honoured.”
He jabbed: “I’m not getting involved in British politics, I’m very well aware of where the electoral cycle is at in Britain and it’s not for me to comment on that.”
Source Agencies
