UK PM Keir Starmer unwilling to proceed with Rwanda migrant deportation plan

United Kingdom’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday (July 6) said he was not prepared to continue with the previous government's Rwanda migrant deportation plan.

"The Rwanda scheme was buried before it even started. I'm not prepared to continue with publicity stunt that don't act as a deterrent," Starmer told reporters at his first news conference after officially taking over as PM.

The newly election PM said, "he was restless for changeand that his party had received a "mandate to do politics differently"."

The newly elected UK PMbegan his first full day in office on Saturdaywith a cabinet meeting, following his Labour Party's decisive election victory that ended 14 years of Conservative rule.

Starmer convened the first meeting of his team, with the UK’s first woman finance minister, Rachel Reeves, and the new foreign minister, David Lammy.

The Labour leader told his ministers it had been "the honour and the privilege of my life" to be invited by King Charles III to form the government.

"We have a huge a amount of work to do, so now we get on with our work," he said.

Former PM Rishi Sunak hadstaked his political reputation on his plan to halt the boats, advocating the contentious deportation plan despite opposition from rights groups and thecourt's ruling against it.

Notably, immigration has become an increasingly importantissue particularly since the UK left the European Union in 2020, mainly on an undertaking to "take back control" of the country's borders.

Starmer had previously said that Sunak's policy was neither a prevention nor value for money.

He has pledged to address the issue by dismantling the people-smuggling gangs responsible for the crossings.

“Central to the policy would be a new "elite"Border Security Command, comprising immigration and law enforcement specialists, as well as the domestic intelligence service MI5,” he said.

According to the UK Home Office, an estimated 12,313 people have made the crossing to Britain so far this year, marking an 18 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

In 2023, there were 29,437 arrivals, which represents a decrease of 36 per cent from the record 45,774 arrivals witnessedin 2022.

(With inputs from agencies)