Rishi Sunak has flatly rejected demands from Ireland to take back illegal migrants entering the country from Britain, as they fear they could be deported to Rwanda.
Mr Sunak said he will not negotiate with the EU on a returns policy for Ireland, after suggesting Ireland’s growing influx is proof that his Rwanda policy is already bearing fruit.
The PM slapped down the demands from Britain’s neighbour, saying “I’m not interested in that”.
He said: “We’re not going to accept returns from the EU via Ireland when the EU doesn’t accept returns back to France where illegal migrants are coming from.
“Of course, we’re not gonna do that. I’m determined to get our Rwanda scheme up and running because I want a deterrent.”
His comments came after Government sources suggested Britain would only explore such a scheme with Ireland in return for the EU accepting British migrant returns to France”.
The source said: “We won’t accept any asylum returns from the EU via Ireland until the EU accepts that we can send them back to France.
“We are fully focused on operationalising our Rwanda scheme and will continue working with the French to stop the boats from crossing the Channel.”
Mr Sunak’s slap down of the Irish Government’s demands came after the country’s Justice minister Helen McEntee cancelled plans to visit the UK and make the demand in person.
Ms McEntee demanded to meet James Cleverly about the issue, however the Home Secretary was unavailable.
She then pulled out of visiting the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference altogether.
The growing migrant row began last week, when the deputy Irish PM claimed around 80% of all recent asylum seekers making applications in Ireland were coming from Britain.
The Irish Government is also under growing pressure as the country saw a 16-year-high arrivals rate, with 140,000 arrivals in the year to April 2023.
Despite calling on the UK to take its asylum seekers back, Micheál Martin has also criticised the Rwanda scheme as a “knee-jerk reaction”.
On Sunday a celebratory Rishi Sunak claimed that Ireland’s migrant problem suggests Rwanda is already working as a deterrent.
He told Sky News: ““People are worried about coming here, and that demonstrates exactly what I’m saying”.
“If people come to our country illegally and know they won’t be able to stay, they’re much less likely to come and that’s why the Rwanda scheme is so important.”
