‘It is the UK’s problem, not ours’: Rwanda President Paul Kagame on controversial asylum scheme

Indicating he would be happy if the asylum deal with the United Kingdom were to be scrapped, Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame has said there are limits to how long attempts to implement such a scheme with Britain can “drag on”.

Significantly, Kagame’s remarks on Wednesday came before UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced a potentially leadership-ending rebellion among Conservative MPs. The lawmakers had threatened to vote down his Rwanda deportation bill on Wednesday night. Sunak, survived the rebellion, by offering token compromises to those who demanded he toughen the new bill to tackle illegal immigration in moves some apprehended could breach human rights protections.

Asked by The Guardian after an event at the World Economic Forum in Davos if he was following the debate in London, Kagame curtly said: “It is the UK’s problem, not ours.”

British lawmakers voted on Wednesday evening on the third reading of the Rwanda bill and about a dozen Tories have said they are prepared to vote against it.

Only 29 rebel Tories are needed for the bill to fall.

In comments that are likely to set alarm bells ringing in London, Kagame expressed frustration at the drawn-out debate about whether asylum seekers would be processed in Rwanda. “There are limits for how long this can drag on,” he said.

Asked by the media if the UK deal was working, he replied: “Ask the UK. It is the UK’s problem, not Rwanda’s problem.”

Kagame also appeared to signal a shift in the Rwandan government’s position on returning funding that the UK has already paid as part of the deal When asked about the money the UK had spent on the scheme, he said: “The money is going to be used on those people who will come. If they don’t come, we can return the money.”

About £240m had been paid to Rwanda so far as part of the deal, the UK government said last year, while a further payment of £50m was expected in the 2024-25 financial year. Two further payments are scheduled.

A Rwandan government spokesperson had said last year there was no provision for refund as the money has already been allocated to a number of infrastructure projects.

Asked if the UK would get its money back, the prime minister’s spokesperson said: “Our focus is on securing the progress of that bill through the house.”

On Wednesday Yolande Makolo, the Rwandan government’s spokesperson, said they would consider a future UK request for a refund, but declined to say how much of the UK’s money had been spent so far.

“Under the terms of the agreement, Rwanda has no obligation to return any of the funds paid. However, if no migrants come to Rwanda under the scheme, and the UK government wishes to request a refund of the portion of the funding allocated to support the migrants, we will consider this request,” she said.

“To talk about figures at this point is premature, as we are still awaiting the conclusion of the UK legislative process and remain committed to making the partnership work,” she said.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, used the opportunity to place pressure on the government, saying: “If Rwanda says we can have the money back from this failing scheme, Rishi Sunak should seize the chance, instead of dragging out this Tory asylum chaos any longer. We need proper grip, not more of this failing gimmick.”

A few right-wing MPs in Britain also seized on Kagame’s words as evidence that the Rwanda scheme must block international law to satisfy the Rwandan president.

In Davos, foreign secretary, David Cameron, said he was confident the third reading of the Rwanda bill would pass in the Commons.

Taking questions, he admitted that Sunak’s asylum policy was “unorthodox” but stressed the need for “out-of-the-box thinking” to tackle illegal migration.

Sunak came under fire over Rwanda at prime minister’s questions, where he was asked three times by the Labour leader, Keir Starmer, about what had happened to 4,250 people who had been “earmarked” for removal to the central African country but whom the government was said to have lost contact with.

The prime minister accused Labour of blocking the government’s actions on illegal immigration, adding that 20,000 people had been removed while enforcement raids were also up.