THE town's MP has expressed her disappointment after the Supreme Court ruled a government plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful. 

Rachel Maclean, MP for Redditch and the Villages, called the policy - where asylum claims would be decided in Rwanda rather than Britain - an 'essential' deterrent. 

Ms Maclean said: "We are making progress on stopping the boats with small boat crossing down by a third even as the numbers to Europe have soared. Our deterrence strategy is working, but to fully solve this problem, Rwanda is an essential part of that deterrent.

"I do not agree with the Supreme Court's decision, so I'm pleased to see the government has been working on a new international treaty with Rwanda which will address their concerns. This must be ratified without delay.

The Supreme Court decision backs the view already given by the Court of Appeal which said there could be real risks that asylum claims would not be properly determined by Rwandan authorities.

The response from the courts has been praised by a number of charities with Labour labelling the government's migration policy a 'shambles'.

In response, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to introduce emergency legislation which would include adding Rwanda to a long list of officially safe countries contained in existing immigration law.

But, the government could still be challenged by the European Court of Human Rights.
Ms Maclean added: "We will also not allow a foreign court to block these flights and if Strasbourg chooses to intervene against the express wishes of Parliament, the government will do whatever is necessary to get flights off.

"We are a sovereign country with a right to control our borders and decide who can and who cannot come to our country. That is a principle I firmly believe in, and I will support the government in doing whatever it takes to stop the boats."