THE Tories’ Rwanda farce continued today as the prime minister hosted the country’s president in Downing Street following reports that 70 per cent of properties for Britain’s stalled deportation scheme have been sold off.
Rishi Sunak was left red-faced as his meeting with Paul Kagame was overshadowed by the revelations over the 163 affordable homes on the estate in Kigali.
Mr Kagame ignored journalists asking whether the housing is being sold off as he entered Number 10 after a manager at Bwiza Riverside Estate told the Times that the homes have been sold to “private people who want to live in them.”
Downing Street said that the two men discussed “the pioneering UK and Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership, which will break the business model of criminal gangs risking lives at sea, and the Prime Minister updated President Kagame on the next stages of the legislation in Parliament.
“Both leaders looked forward to flights departing to Rwanda in the spring,” the spokesman said.
Labour called for “urgent clarity” on the Tories’ flagship “stop the boats” scheme from the prime minister.
Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said: “The half a billion-pound Rwanda scheme is a failing farce, which will only cover less than 1 per cent of asylum arrivals.
“The Tories’ so-called plan is unravelling by the day and taxpayers are footing the Bill.”
The properties had been funded as part of a public-private partnership between the Kigali government and ADHI Corporate Group, costing between £14,000 and £27,000.
Former home secretary Suella Braverman, who previously described the homes built as part of 257-unit scheme as “beautiful,” said she is disappointed at the state of the government’s asylum plan.
One Life to Live founder Nicola David said: “It’s time to walk away before Britain embarrasses itself further and wastes even more millions of taxpayers’ pounds.”
Stand up Racism co-convener Sabby Dhalu said: “The Rwanda policy is racist, costly, unworkable and violates human rights.
“The only solution is to implement safe passage for all asylum-seekers.”
Care4Calais chief executive Steve Smith said: “The Rwanda plan has always been unworkable.
“The survivors of war, torture and persecution have come to Britain seeking safety and instead of providing that, our government is threatening them with removal to a country the Supreme Court ruled is unsafe for them.”
The Home Office insisted Kigali is “stand ready to host thousands of migrants under the partnership.”
