UK's Sunak defends 'worthwhile' costs of Rwanda migrants plan

LONDON - UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday defended his stalled scheme to send migrants to Rwanda as a "worthwhile investment", after a public spending watchdog revealed eye-watering projected costs.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said the controversial plan will cost British taxpayers more than half a billion pounds to send the first 300 asylum seekers to the east African nation.

Sunak has insisted the policy — first unveiled in 2022 under ex-prime minister Boris Johnson — is needed to deter tens of thousands of migrants arriving on Britain's shores each year aboard small boats from mainland Europe.

But it has been mired in controversy and legal action ever since, primarily over whether Rwanda is a safe destination, and no migrants have been sent there yet.

Despite the UK Supreme Court ruling the scheme unlawful in November, Sunak has pressed ahead by signing a new treaty with Rwanda and pushing emergency legislation through parliament declaring the country safe.

"In order to fully resolve this issue we need to have a deterrent," he told reporters Friday during a visit to Scotland.

"We need to be able to say if you come here illegally, you won't be able to stay, we can remove you to a safe country.

"That's why the Rwanda scheme is so important -- it's a worthwhile investment and I'm determined to see it through."

Neither Sunak nor his interior ministry has detailed how much the scheme will cost overall.

But the NAO found London will pay Rwanda £370 million (sh1.8 trillion) for its "partnership" deal, a further £20,000 (sh99 million) per individual and £120 million (sh594 billion) once the first 300 people have been relocated.

In addition, it will spend £150,874 (about sh746 million) per individual for processing and operational costs over five years.

That will take the total bill for the first 300 migrants deported there to more than £540 million (sh2.7 trillion) — nearly £2 million (sh9.9 billion) per person.

The main opposition Labour Party, which has consistently opposed the scheme, called the figures a "national scandal".

But in his remarks, Sunak branded the current situation "unsustainable and unfair", noting taxpayers are paying "millions of pounds a day to house illegal migrants in hotels".

While Rwanda — a tiny nation of 13 million people — lays claim to being one of the most stable countries in Africa, rights groups accuse President Paul Kagame of ruling in a climate of fear, stifling dissent and free speech.

The country has drawn praise for its modern infrastructure but sparked unease over its record on human rights.