The Rwandan government has launched legal action against the UK to seek payments it claims it is owed under a scrapped migrant deal between the two countries.
Rwanda has filed a case with the Netherlands-based Permanent Court of Arbitration, arguing the UK has failed to honour commitments made in a deal to send some asylum seekers to the African nation.
Under the deal, which was signed by the previous Conservative government, the UK agreed to make payments to Rwanda to host asylum seekers and support its economy.
But after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer axed the deal in 2024, the Home Office said £220m in scheduled future payments will not have to be paid to Rwanda.
A Home Office spokesperson said: The previous government's Rwanda policy wasted vast sums of taxpayer time and money.
We will robustly defend our position to protect British taxpayers.
The Rwandan government has not responded to the BBC's requests for comment. But the country's ministry of foreign affairs pointed us towards an article about the arbitration proceedings in the New Times, a Rwandan newspaper.
The previous Conservative government spent some £700m on the Rwanda policy, which was intended to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Michael Butera, chief technical adviser to Rwanda's minister of justice, explained that through arbitration, Rwanda seeks a legal determination of the parties' rights and obligations under the treaty in accordance with international law.
Rwanda initiated arbitration proceedings under the asylum partnership agreement in November, which the Permanent Court of Arbitration has listed as pending. The PCA has the power to issue binding rulings if disputes cannot be settled between the countries involved.
The situation has prompted responses from UK political figures, asserting significant implications for British taxpayers as the legal battle unfolds.
