3000 pounds "starting money"

First rejected asylum seeker flown to Rwanda

The rejected asylum seeker was flown to Rwanda's capital Kigali.(Bild: APA/AFP/GUILLEM SARTORIO)

The British government has deported the first rejected asylum seeker to Rwanda as part of a voluntary program. The unnamed man was flown out of the country on Monday. The voluntary program differs from the controversial forced deportation plan that Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pushed through parliament last week after a long dispute. 

This option, which has been in place since March, provides for an initial fee of up to 3,000 pounds (around 3,500 euros) to leave the country for Rwanda. In this way, the British government aims to reduce the number of people who have entered the country in recent years. "This agreement will allow people without immigration status in the UK to be resettled in a safe third country where they will be helped to rebuild their lives," said a government spokesperson.

Opposition sees "PR stunt" ahead of local elections
The action is not part of the British government's much-criticized plan to deport thousands of irregular asylum seekers to Rwanda, regardless of their origin. Nevertheless, the daily newspaper "Sun" spoke of a "historic moment" which showed that it was possible to deport asylum seekers to a third country. The opposition Labour Party, on the other hand, criticized that it was a PR stunt during the election campaign. 

"The Tories are so desperate to send any flight to Rwanda before the local elections that they have now paid someone to fly there," said Labor home affairs spokeswoman Yvette Cooper. Sunak's Conservative Party is facing a heavy defeat in the local elections in England this Thursday.