Germany’s ambassador in London flatly denied that his country is considering adopting a Rwanda deportation scheme championed by the previous Tory government in the UK.
Miguel Berger took to X, also known as Twitter, to reject suggestions that Berlin is considering the move.
He messaged: “Let’s be clear, there is no plan of the German Government to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
“The discussion is about processing asylum applications in third countries under international humanitarian law and with support of the United Nations.”
Let’s be clear, there is no plan of the German Government to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. The discussion is about processing asylum applications in third countries under international humanitarian law and with support of the United Nations. pic.twitter.com/PL7dovGkAj
— Miguel Berger (@GermanAmbUK) September 6, 2024
One of the clear differences with the Rwanda plan under Rishi Sunak’s government was that the latter involved sending migrants who crossed the Channel in “small boats” to the African country on a one-way ticket, with no prospect of return to Britain even if they were found to have a valid asylum claim.
After a high-level meeting a the National Crime Agency in London on how to tackle the “small boats” crisis, Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC: “The Germans have already cleared up that they're not using the Rwanda plan, and that's because they've concluded, like we have, that it won't work.
“We're going to concentrate on what works. That means taking down the gangs that are running this trade.”
However, Tory MPs have seized on reports coming out of Berlin which suggested that Germany could use asylum facilities in Rwanda originally intended for the UK’s aborted migration scheme.
The country’s migration commissioner, Joachim Stamp, has suggested the EU could utilise existing asylum accommodation in the east African country, originally destined for migrants deported from Britain under the now-scrapped scheme.
Downing Street said it would not comment on the discussions between two foreign governments.
But Tory MPs argued that the German discussions showed Labour was wrong to ditch the controversial plan.
The Rwanda scheme, launched by the Tories when in power, was intended to deter migrants planning to cross the English Channel in small boats from making the journey with the threat of deportation to Kigali.
Sir Keir Starmer scrapped the scheme, which ministers said had cost £700 million in the last year alone, when Labour came to power in the summer.
As in the UK, Germany’s ruling coalition is facing pressure to restrict unauthorised migration into the country, with recent regional elections seeing the anti-immigration far-right political party Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) make gains at the ballot box.
Asked about reports that Germany could work with the Rwandans on such a scheme, using facilities originally built for the UK, a No 10 spokesperson said they would not comment on discussions between other nations.
“Policies pursued by other countries are a matter for them. Our position with regard to Rwanda is well known,” they added.
The Government has previously aired hopes it could recoup some of the £220 million paid to the Rwandan government as part of the scheme, a request Kigali said it has no obligation to honour.
Downing Street was not able to offer any update on attempts to claw back the cash.
The cumulative number of arrivals by small boats in 2024 now stands at a provisional total of 21,977.
This is 3% higher than at this point last year, when the total stood at 21,372, but 20% lower than at this stage in 2022, when the total was 27,409.
There have been 2,683 arrivals in the past nine days, from August 27 to September 4 inclusive - the highest in any nine-day period so far this year.
There were 29,437 arrivals across the whole of 2023, down 36% on a record 45,774 in 2022.
More than 30 people have now died in Channel crossings so far this year, compared with 12 who are thought to have died or were recorded as missing in 2023, according to the French coastguard.
Former immigration minister and current Conservative leadership frontrunner Robert Jenrick attacked the Government over the figures, saying it had "surrendered to the smuggling gangs".
Criticising the decision to scrap the Rwanda policy, he told Sky News: "Yvette Cooper will meet the National Crime Agency and police chiefs today, and they'll tell her what they told me when I was the minister, which is that although it's important that we do that work, it is not sufficient. You have to have a deterrent."
But border minister Dame Angela Eagle dismissed his argument and cast doubt on whether Germany would press ahead with a scheme with Rwanda.
She stressed that the previous Government’s Rwanda scheme, which failed to get a single deportation flight off the ground, had not worked.
She added: “Our experience of the Rwanda scheme is we took £700 million...to persuade four people voluntarily to relocate to Rwanda.
“They had geared up the previous government to spend literally billions of pounds attempting to make that scheme work.
“It did not work.”
The Government is not considering expanding safe and legal routes for asylum seekers to come to the UK, she added, arguing that the cross-Channel “small boats” migration could be tackled by smashing the criminal gangs behind it, processing asylum claims far quicker, and returning far more failed asylum seekers to the countries from where they had come.
Dame Angela Eagle told Times Radio: "The important thing is...we cannot allow people-smuggling gangs to decide who comes into this country."
Asked whether the Government would expand safe, legal routes to the UK, Dame Angela said: "That's not under consideration. We have to get control of our borders.
"We cannot look the other way while people-smuggling gangs are trading in human misery, putting people's lives at risk, all to make colossal profits."
