Do you agree with the Rwanda asylum policy? Here's what Yahoo readers think
The government's scheme to send asylum seekers on a one-way flight to Rwanda has become law. Here's what Yahoo readers think of it.
Yahoo UK's poll of the week lets you vote and indicate your strength of feeling on one of the week's hot topics. After 72 hours the poll closes and, each Friday, we'll publish and analyse the results, giving readers the chance to see how polarising a topic has become and if their view chimes with other Yahoo UK readers.
Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill has become law after weeks of parliamentary deadlock, paving the way for deportation flights to get off the ground.
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill became an Act of Parliament after being granted royal assent on Thursday.
The accompanying treaty the UK has signed with Rwanda has also been ratified, the Home Office confirmed.
Home secretary James Cleverley insisted spending money on the Rwanda scheme was “absolutely worth it” and the government would “keep those flights going until we stop the boats” crossing the English Channel.
He insisted it is “possible” to stop Channel crossings but it was “nonsense” to speculate on how many people would have to be sent to Rwanda to achieve that.
Cleverley declined to comment on French president Emmanuel Macron’s criticism of migration policies that involve sending people to African countries as “a betrayal of our values”.
Campaigners have already called for the law, and other sweeping asylum reforms already introduced by the government, to be repealed, warning they could cause a “system meltdown” costing the taxpayer billions of pounds.
Yahoo News UK asked our readers for their thoughts on the Rwanda policy. Here are the results:
Our first poll from noon on Monday until noon on Thursday asked: "Do you agree with the government's Rwanda policy?"
It received 13,729 votes and showed 63% of Yahoo readers agree with it, compared to 32% who disagree.
Nearly two-thirds of Yahoo News UK readers support the Rwanda policy to deport asylum seekers
Readers were also asked: How strongly do you feel about the right to asylum?"
This poll received 5,921 votes, with an average score of 4.2 out of 10.
Just under half of Yahoo News UK readers feel strongly about the right to asylum
Our original poll article can be found here.
The wider public is more split on the Rwanda policy. A YouGov poll of 4,544 Britons, conducted on Tuesday, found 41% supported it, with 41% against. Some 18% said they didn't know.
Sunak, who has staked his reputation on his pledge to “stop the boats”, has described the Rwanda plan as an “indispensable deterrent”, despite it being plagued by a series of setbacks since the deal was signed two years ago.
The law declares Rwanda is a safe country and seeks to ensure the scheme – ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court – is legally watertight.
Officials are now working to put the plan into action, with Sunak suggesting the first plane carrying asylum seekers could depart in July.
He said an airfield is “on stand-by” and commercial charter planes have been booked “for specific slots”.
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