James Cleverly touches down in Rwanda as Home Secretary makes last-ditch attempt to sign migrant pact
![James Cleverly touches down in Rwanda as Home Secretary makes last-ditch attempt to sign migrant pact](https://www.gbnews.com/media-library/image.jpg?id=50636570&width=1200&height=800&quality=90&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C116)
James Cleverly has touched down in Rwanda as part of a last ditch attempt to get the migrant pact over the line.
The Government is attempting to renegotiate the terms of the deal in order to address the concerns of the Supreme Court, which ruled the plan illegal in a judgement last month.
Cleverly said Rwanda "cares deeply about the rights of refugees", adding that he will introduce changes to "address the conclusions" of the Supreme Court.
The Home Secretary said: "We are clear that Rwanda is a safe country, and we are working at pace to move forward with this partnership to stop the boats and save lives.
"The Supreme Court recognised that changes may be delivered in future to address the conclusions they reached - and that is what we have set out to do together, with this new, internationally recognised treaty agreement.
"Rwanda cares deeply about the rights of refugees, and I look forward to meeting with counterparts to sign this agreement and further discuss how we work together to tackle the global challenge of illegal migration."
The Government is looking to put in place measures to ensure that asylum seekers are not sent back to their countries of origin if they could be in danger.
The agreement is seeking to include a legal guarantee that would prevent asylum seekers from being deported from Rwanda if they have been sent there as part of the scheme.
One suggestion to get the deal over the line, sources told the Times, would be to place UK lawyers in Rwandan courts in order to address concerns from the Supreme Court over its implementation.
Sunak discussed the treaty with Rwandan President Paul Kagame over the weekend during his visit to the Cop28 UN climate change conference in Dubai.
He is understood to be hoping to get flights off the ground by April, in an attempt to boost the party's position in the polls before an election.
The Home Secretary landed this morning in Rwanda
PA
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ruled that the plan to send migrants to Rwanda is unlawful.
All five justices unanimously agreed with the Court of Appeal’s conclusion that the Rwanda policy was unlawful.
Delivering his judgement, Lord Reed noted that "the court of appeal was right to overturn the high court's decision and to consider the evidence again for itself".
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
Cleverly said Rwanda "cares deeply about the rights of refugees", adding that he will introduce changes to "address the conclusions" of the Supreme Court
PA
He cited concerns about "media and political freedom", the country's "poor human rights record" and a "misunderstanding of its obligations under the Refugee Convention".
Speaking after the ruling, the Prime Minister said the Government will "carefully review" the judgement and make plans for "next steps".
But Home Secretary James Cleverly has indicated reluctance after he urged people not to "fixate" on the plans.