New UK PM Keir Starmer To Scrap Sunak's Rwanda Deportation Plan: 'It Was Dead & Buried Before It Started'

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Rishi Sunak's Rwanda Deportation plan "never acted as a deterrent" and was "dead and buried even before it started".

File photo of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. (Photo: PTI)

Source : PTI

On his first full day in Prime Minister's office, the newly-elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Saturday that he is scrapping the former ruling Conservative Party's policy to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda, American news agency Associated Press reported.

"The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started," Starmer said in his first news conference, adding "It’s never acted as a deterrent. Almost the opposite."

It was expected Starmer would make this announcement as he had said he would ditch the plan that cost hundreds of millions of dollars but never took flight, the report said.

The news conference was held after his first Cabinet meeting as the new government took charge.

Welcoming the new ministers at 10 Downing St., Starmer said that it was an honor to be asked to form a government by King Charles III, in a ceremony that officially made him UK's prime minister.

"We have a huge amount of work to do, so now we get on with our work," AP quoted him as saying.

In a landslide victory, Starmer’s Labour Party defeated Conservatives in their two-century history on Friday on a platform of change. The Labour Party secured 412 seats in the UK general elections, while the Conservatives won just 120 seats, a stark decline from their 2019 tally of 365 seats. 

Among a raft of issues the Labour is set to face include boosting a sluggish economy, fixing health care system, and restoring public's trust in the government, the report noted.

"Just because Labour won a big landslide doesn’t mean all the problems that the Conservative government has faced has gone away," professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, Tim Bale said.

'Work Of Change Begins Immediately'

Following the "kissing of hands" ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Starmer, in his first remarks as UK PM said on Friday that he would get to work immediately. He also cautioned it would take time to show results.

Amid cheering from supporters, who had gathered outside his official residence at 10 Downing St, Starmer said: "Changing a country is not like flicking a switch", adding "This will take a while. But have no doubt that the work of change begins — immediately."

Conservatives faced difficulties in controlling the inflow of migrants arriving across the English Channel, falling short of ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s promise to "stop the boats". This resulted in the controversial plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

"Labour is going to need to find a solution to the small boats coming across the channel," Tim Bale said."It’s going to ditch the Rwanda scheme, but it’s going to have to come up with other solutions to deal with that particular problem."

A Conservative hard liner on immigration, Suella Braverman, criticised Starmer’s plan to end the Rwanda pact. She is a possible contender who is likely to replace Rishi Sunak as party leader. 

"Years of hard work, acts of Parliament, millions of pounds been spent on a scheme which had it been delivered properly would have worked," she said on Saturday.

"There are big problems on the horizon which will be I’m afraid caused by Keir Starmer," Braverman added.