LONDON—The High Court has resolved the cases of three asylum seekers who brought legal action against the government on Tuesday.
Lawyers representing the three asylum seekers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared at the Royal Courts of Justice in London prepared for a three-day trial on behalf of the claimants who were at risk of being deported to Rwanda under the Conservatives’ immigration policy.
Speaking to reporters at Downing Street on Saturday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started. It’s never been a deterrent.”
The case, which looked into matters pertaining to human rights, was stopped in its tracks in the High Court on Tuesday before Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr. Justice Chamberlain and Mr. Justice Dove, signifying a concrete moment in Labour’s immigration policy intentions.
Sir James Eadie, KC, for the government’s Home Department, said in court that an agreement had been reached for the three claimants.
“These claimants’ cases will be fully disposed of and withdrawn subject to the secretary of state paying their costs,” said Mr. Eadie.
In written submissions, the barrister said that claims of people affected by the Rwanda policy “will be considered in a manner consistent with the new Government’s new asylum policy.”
“That asylum policy does not involve removals to Rwanda,” Mr. Eadie added.
The court also heard that one other asylum claim, which has been put on hold awaiting the outcome of these three individual claims, would be lifted upon the resolution of the cases.
“So far as that claim is concerned, it will be immediately unstayed and immediately adjourned,” Mr. Eadie said.
Phillippa Kaufmann, KC, representing one of the three claimants, told the court that her client was “surprised it was necessary to keep proceedings alive considering that the prime minister [Keir Starmer] said the Rwanda scheme was ‘dead and buried.’”
“Given the home secretary wants to see if that is actually the case, a pragmatic compromise has been reached,” said Ms. Kaufmann.
The Rwanda policy was first introduced in 2022 and was a vital part of the Conservatives’ plan to “stop the boats” of illegal immigrants crossing the English Channel from France.
The Conservative Party were planning to have the first deportation flight leave on July 24; however, the Tories called an early general election held on July 4, which saw the Labor Party win in a landslide.
