British High Commissioner to Rwanda and Ambassador-designate to Burundi in a press conference on Wednesday 2 October in Kigali Rwanda.
The new United Kingdom High Commissioner to Rwanda, Alison Thorpe, has spoken out on key issues regarding relations between her country and Rwanda, following key developments over the first couple of years, which many would have thought put relations between the two countries after the new government scrapped the UK-Rwanda partnership.
Upon taking over 10 Downing Street in July, Sir Keir Starmer, who campaigned on the ticket of scrapping the partnership which would see the UK deport illegal migrants to Rwanda for processing as deterrent measure, said that he would cancel it on the first day in office because it was not going to be effective and that it was not economically viable.
However, Rwanda maintained that it entered the deal as part of efforts to find a solution to the global immigration crisis, which most conventional methods have failed to stop. After the scheme which was adopted under Conservatives was scrapped, several countries have expressed interest to pick it up.
At her first press conference since assuming office in September, High Commissioner Thorpe, who was nominated in February this year to replace Omar Daair OBE, said that the new government taking a new approach does not mean that relations between the UK and Rwanda have been affected.
On the contrary, she pointed out that relations are much stronger than they’ve been, emphasizing that the UK-Rwanda partnership was just a small aspect of the bilateral ties, adding that the new government decided to take a different approach to managing illegal migration and they have ended the migration partnership with Rwanda.
“But that absolutely doesn’t mean that they have ended the relationship with Rwanda. In fact, the relationship has always been far broader than just migration,”
“The new government is very keen to continue with a strong relationship with Rwanda and I think that was evidenced by the visit, in my second week here, of Lord Collins, who’s our minister for Africa,” Thorpe said.
High Commissioner Thorpe said the scrapping of the UK-Rwanda Migration initiative does not mean the end of bilateral relations between the two countries.
“He prioritised coming to Rwanda early on because he wanted to send that very clear message to the government that we are absolutely committed not just to the strong relationship we already have, but to making it and building it stronger over the years to come,” Thorpe she added.
She pointed out that the UK is absolutely focused on working in partnership with Rwanda on issues like trade, economic growth and development, as well as the environment, particular issues to do with climate change.
“These are all objectives that the Rwandan government prioritises and mine also does so,” she said, adding that there are more areas of cooperation, other than the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership (MEDP), which was affected by the scrapping of the UK-Rwanda migration policy.
Thorpe pointed out that the MEDP had been embedded into UK legislation under what was known as the ‘Rwanda Safety Bill’, passed by the UK’s Parliament and the next step would be repealing the bill which is no longer needed.
“Once that bill is repealed, then we have to give formal notice to the Government of Rwanda that we are that we are exiting the treaty that we have signed with them on the migration partnership,” Thorpe said, revealing that a delegation from the UK’s Home Office would be arriving in Rwanda this Thursday to go through the steps to formally end the program.
On whether Rwanda would refund the money the UK had given the government to prepare for the planned deportation and process of illegal migrants crossing into the UK, the High Commissioner said that there is no plan for the UK to ask Rwanda for a refund.
“As far as I’m aware, there is no intention to ask Rwanda for any of the money back. We’ve given it but nor will we, therefore, once we’ve repealed the treaty, be paying any further monies either,” she said.
The UK Envoy expressed no optimism about the treaty being revived, pointing out that the current government in the UK is already looking for other alternatives.
“I’m not inside the mind of my Prime Minister [laughs], but I think this Government is unlikely to revive the migration partnership. I think they have a plan. For how they’re going to tackle a legal migration through other measures,” she said.
Thorpe pointed out that the government is talking about introducing a border security command control on the shores of the UK to stop the small boats from crossing.
