{"id":1923,"date":"2026-06-02T09:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/06\/02\/uk-will-not-have-to-pay-rwanda-100m-over-failed-asylum-scheme-court-rules\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T09:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T09:30:13","slug":"uk-will-not-have-to-pay-rwanda-100m-over-failed-asylum-scheme-court-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1923","title":{"rendered":"UK will not have to pay Rwanda \u00a3100m over failed asylum scheme, court rules"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"b1f00c9e-b84e-49bc-a449-fa0c1f663d48\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"People holding up signs reading: 'Stop Rwanda' and 'All refugees welcome' in front of the building.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/7dac19920d3b0c831f19be4a3f1c8b1d8e2d716c\/1099_0_4668_3734\/master\/4668.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.9601542416453\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A protest against the Rwanda scheme outside the Royal Courts Of Justice in London in 2022.<\/span> Photograph: Vuk Valcic\/ZUMA Press Wire\/REX\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"b1f00c9e-b84e-49bc-a449-fa0c1f663d48\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">A protest against the Rwanda scheme outside the Royal Courts Of Justice in London in 2022.<\/span> Photograph: Vuk Valcic\/ZUMA Press Wire\/REX\/Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">UK will not have to pay Rwanda \u00a3100m over failed asylum scheme, court rules<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Rwanda had sued UK government over alleged breach of agreement, after scheme scrapped by Labour on first day in office<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The UK will not have to pay the Rwandan government millions of pounds over a failed migrant deportation scheme set up by Boris Johnson\u2019s administration, an international court has ruled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The east African nation had sued the current UK government for more than \u00a3100m, claiming it was owed after a breach of an agreement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But after a three-day hearing at The Hague\u2019s permanent court of arbitration in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/netherlands\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Netherlands<\/a>, judges ruled that the UK was not liable for two years of outstanding costs from the scheme, which was shelved in 2024.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Johnson, then prime minister, sealed a deal in 2022 with Kigali to send to Rwanda all asylum seekers arriving on UK shores after \u201cdangerous or illegal journeys\u201d in small boats or lorries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">But the scheme hit legal and political obstacles from the start, with the UK supreme court eventually ruling it illegal. When Keir Starmer became British prime minister in July 2024, he declared the plan \u201cdead and buried\u201d on his first full day in office, dismissing it as a \u201cgimmick\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">During the case, lawyers representing the UK argued it was \u201centirely logical\u201d the plan would be scrapped when Labour came into power after the 2024 general election and \u201csimple common sense\u201d that no further payments would be due.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"47e1e5a7-6186-4f05-8347-94ff96ae41be\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Internal balconies and walkways and a courtyard in a hostel building\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/c7f5ec87dec28cf3eb417b649a41574e176e2f41\/0_0_6000_4000\/master\/6000.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.66666666666663\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"47e1e5a7-6186-4f05-8347-94ff96ae41be\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">The Hope Hostel in Kigali, Rwanda, where it was planned people would stay after arriving from the UK on deportation flights.<\/span> Photograph: Victoria Jones\/PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">During the two years before the scheme was scrapped, only four people actually went to Rwanda, all voluntarily, according to the current UK government. About \u00a3290m has been paid to Rwanda, the UK government website says, but Kigali argued in its pre-hearing submissions to the court that two annual payments of \u00a350m were still outstanding.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">According to legal papers, Rwanda asked the court to find the UK in breach of the agreement and demanded it pay all outstanding sums, as well as compensation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Lawyers for the UK denied it had breached parts of the deal and said: \u201cRwanda is not entitled to any of the forms of relief it seeks\u201d when asking the court to dismiss the claims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Earlier this year, Downing Street defended the decision to scrap the previous Tory administration\u2019s plan when it emerged Rwanda was taking the UK to court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Before the election, the Conservative government had already spent \u00a3700m on its policy, under which migrants who arrived in the UK by boat from France would be sent to Kigali in an attempt to deter Channel crossings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Rwanda\u2019s minister of justice and attorney general, previously told the court the country had incurred \u201csignificant costs\u201d preparing for the partnership and the UK had \u201cthen sought to walk away from its legal obligations\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"667296f5-688d-4937-a8e5-c5b295ecb86d\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-173mewl\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Ugirashebuja speaking previously at the court.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/ac45765d52b2edb6d4140f1aa2b2b1b2e7da1776\/0_0_2999_2000\/master\/2999.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"296.76558852950984\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"667296f5-688d-4937-a8e5-c5b295ecb86d\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-fd61eq\"><span class=\"dcr-1inf02i\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Ugirashebuja, Rwanda&#8217;s minister of justice, speaking previously at the court.<\/span> Photograph: Permanent court of arbitration\/PA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">He also said the UK \u201cdid not do Rwanda a courtesy of informing it in advance\u201d that it was scrapping the deal, and that leaders were \u201cleft to read about this development in the media\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In a document setting out Rwanda\u2019s claim, Ugirashebuja asked the court to rule that the UK had breached the agreement and should pay about \u00a3100m in two instalments in 2024 and 2025, plus \u00a36m in compensation and interest. Instead of compensation, he said Rwanda would accept a formal apology from the UK for failing to honour parts of the deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The arbitration court, set up to settle contractual disputes between nations, rejected by majority a \u00a350m claim for one year and unanimously rejected the same amount for the second.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">A UK government spokesperson said: \u201cThe UK robustly defended its position, and the tribunal has now ruled in favour of the UK on all grounds.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The two nations are already in dispute after the UK <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/feb\/25\/uk-suspends-aid-to-rwanda-over-alleged-support-for-drc-rebels\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">slashed aid to Rwanda<\/a>, accusing it of supporting M23 rebels in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/uk\/immigration\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Immigration and asylum<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/rwanda\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Rwanda<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/world\/netherlands\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Netherlands<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=UK%20will%20not%20have%20to%20pay%20Rwanda%20%C2%A3100m%20over%20failed%20asylum%20scheme,%20court%20rules&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/uk-news\/2026\/jun\/01\/uk-will-not-pay-rwanda-over-failed-asylum-scheme?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fuk-news%2F2026%2Fjun%2F01%2Fuk-will-not-pay-rwanda-over-failed-asylum-scheme&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=uk-news\/2026\/jun\/01\/uk-will-not-pay-rwanda-over-failed-asylum-scheme\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A protest against the Rwanda scheme outside the Royal Courts Of Justice in London in 2022. Photograph: Vuk Valcic\/ZUMA Press Wire\/REX\/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen A protest against the Rwanda &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=1923\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1924,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1923\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}