The UK government is taking its controversial Rwanda asylum plan to the supreme court, after the court of appeal ruled that the proposal was illegal.
However, even if the higher court appeal fails, agreements like the UK-Rwanda asylum partnership are unlikely to disappear. This is because migration “deals”, as historical analysis shows, are almost never just about migration. Rather, they are more often quid pro quo arrangements linked to other domestic and foreign policy goals.
The UK-Rwanda partnership involves the UK committing to provide Rwanda with £120 million in economic development aid. This is on top of an estimated £170,000 per asylum seeker that the government expects to spend if the agreement is implemented.
