<gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"63a06a9b8f0834f3c057c570","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

And here are some more lines from Rishi Sunak’s broadcast interview in Riga.

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• Sunak urged the unions to do everything they could to minimise the impact of this week’s health strikes, if they were not willing to call them off. He said:

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I’m really disappointed to see that the unions are calling these strikes, particularly at Christmas, particularly when it has such an impact on people’s day-to-day lives with the disruption it causes and the impact on their health.

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I would urge them to keep considering whether these strikes are really necessary and do everything they can to alleviate the impact it’s going to have on people.

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The government, for its part, is being responsible in putting in place contingency measures to make sure we are well prepared to handle the disruption that is coming.

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In an article for the Mail on Sunday yesterday, Steve Barclay, the health secretary, claimed that “some unions representing ambulance crews are being less than cooperative in negotiations about staff cover on strike days”.

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• Sunak said the door was “always open” for the unions to meet ministers – but he seemed to rule out holding new talks on pay. He said:

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Our door is always open – the health secretary has been very clear with that – of course we are always happy to sit down and talk to people to try and work through difficult challenges like this, that’s always been the case.

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But, on pay, he stressed the importance of the “independent process” (having pay review bodies make recommendations). He also said the government needed to control inflation by having “a responsible and fair approach to pay”.

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• He implicitly criticised Jeremy Clarkson for what he said about the Duchess of Sussex in his Sun column last week. But he did not accept that the Clarkson column showed that Britain was a racist country. Asked about Clarkson’s comments, he said:

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I think for everyone in public life, language matters. You asked about racism. Now, I’ve seen some of the things that have been said. I absolutely don’t believe that Britain is a racist country. And I’d hope that as our nation’s first British Asian prime minister, when I say that it carries some weight.

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urges unions to do ‘everything they can’ to minimise impact of health strikes","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a06a5e8f085e6820543224","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Rishi Sunak has welcomed the high court judgment saying the government’s Rwanda deportation policy for asylum seekers is legal. In a clip for broadcasters from Riga, he said the policy was a “common sense position” supported by “the vast majority of the British public”. He said:

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Well, I welcome the decision of the court today. We’ve always maintained that our Rwanda policy is lawful, and I’m pleased that was confirmed today and this is just one part of our plan to tackle illegal migration.

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Last week, I set out a very comprehensive approach to stopping the boats from coming to the UK. It’s not going to be easy and we’re not going to be able to do it overnight.

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But I’m confident that with the steps I laid out last week, we really can get to grips with illegal migration, because I think what we all want to see, and what I want to deliver, is a system whereby if you come to the UK illegally, you will not have the right to stay and we will be able to return you to your own country if it’s safe or a safe alternative like Rwanda.

\n

That’s the common sense position, I think, of the vast majority of the British public. It’s my position, and that’s what I want to deliver as prime minister.

\n

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In fact, ever since the Rwanda policy was announced in April, public opinion on it has always been divided. One more recent poll suggests that an alternative policy for dealing with small boats – making it easier for people to apply for asylum in the UK from overseas (broadly something Labour favours) – is more popular.

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Really interesting polling from @YouGov. Just 10% of people think the Rwanda plan is the best way to deal with the channel boats issue. Tories/Lab supporters split on what the right approach would be. pic.twitter.com/SrncMB9n4h

&mdash; Sam Freedman (@Samfr) December 19, 2022

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Rishi Sunak has joined other senior Tories who have criticised the football pundit and former England player Gary Neville for his attack on the government’s nurses’ pay policy yesterday.

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During his World Cup commentary, Neville suggested there were similarities between the government’s approach to nurses and the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar. He accused ministers of “demonising rail workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly, nurses”.

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In an interview with the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves, who was invited to accompany Sunak on his trip to Latvia, Sunak was asked about Neville’s comments. He replied:

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I think when most people are tuning in to watch Gary Neville they want to hear about the football and watch the football. They don’t want to discuss politics.

\n

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Sunak also said that he came from an NHS family and that as chancellor and PM he had prioritised the health service. “During Covid when there was a pay freeze in the rest of the public sector, the one area that got special treatment was the NHS. I did that as chancellor,” he said.

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Other Tories have been more blunt. This is from Simon Clarke, the former levelling up secretary.

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Totally right from @NJ_Timothy. It is beyond ridiculous that @GNev2 is given free rein by @ITVSport to overtly politicise a major sporting event. Quite apart from the fact every nurse is receiving a pay rise of £1400, to compare workers’ rights in Qatar with the UK is grotesque. https://t.co/cAVqLU8nO5

&mdash; Simon Clarke MP (@SimonClarkeMP) December 18, 2022

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urges Gary Neville to stick to football after pundit’s low pay outburst prompts Tory protests","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a057f38f085e6820543146","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Charities that work with refugees have reacted with alarm to the high court judgment on the Rwanda policy.

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Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said:

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This bitterly disappointing decision draws attention to the limitations of domestic law when it comes to the UK meeting its obligations under international law.

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We remain gravely concerned that the government’s Rwanda deal seriously undermines international refugee law and rides roughshod over the rights of people seeking asylum in the UK.

\n

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Katy Chakrabortty, head of policy and advocacy at Oxfam, said:

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The high court’s ruling is deeply disappointing. But just because something is legal, does not make it humane.

\n

The government’s plans to offshore our asylum responsibilities to Rwanda are cruel and immoral, and will do nothing to tackle the issue of dangerous small boat crossings. We need a reversal of this barbaric policy, and the creation of more safe and legal routes for those fleeing conflict and persecution to the UK.

\n

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Josie Naughton, the CEO of Choose Love, which helped to fund the claim by Asylum Aid (one of the various cases considered by the high court in its judgment), said:

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Today is a dark moment for upholding human rights in the UK. Hostility has come at the expense of compassion, and the country is turning its back on the principle that all should have rights to live in freedom and in safety. Today’s ruling sets a dangerous precedent for evading international and moral commitments towards those seeking asylum.

\n

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And Beth Gardiner-Smith, the CEO of Safe Passage International, said:

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Today’s decision is deeply disappointing, and our thoughts are with all of those who are at risk of deportation under this cruel policy. As well as being immoral, this plan won’t work in practice to deter people from making dangerous journeys across the Channel as we have seen this year. Instead, it will inflict huge misery and suffering on refugees who have already experienced significant trauma.

\n

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Responding to the high court judgment, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said the government should abandon the Rwanda policy because it was unworkable and expensive. She said in a statement:

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The Rwanda scheme is a damaging distraction from the urgent action the government should be taking to go after the criminal gangs and sort out the asylum system. It is unworkable, unethical, extortionately expensive.

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Ministers have already written a £140m cheque to Rwanda without the policy even starting, with millions more promised even though Home Office officials say there’s no evidence it’ll provide a deterrent and it risks making trafficking worse.

\n

The Rwandan government has said it can only process 200 people a year – or 0.5% of Channel crossings this year.

\n

","elementId":"706dcd3a-b734-4eed-8fff-243e843e5118"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

And the Liberal Democrats have also renewed their call for the government to abandon the policy, on the same grounds. This is from Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dems’ home affair spokesperson:

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\n

Whether or not it is lawful, the Conservatives’ Rwanda asylum plan is immoral, ineffective and incredibly costly for taxpayers.

\n

It will do nothing to stop dangerous Channel crossings or combat people smuggling and human trafficking; instead it will give criminal gangs more power and profits.

\n

The Conservatives are betraying the UK’s proud tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees fleeing war and persecution, and breaching our commitments under the 1951 UN refugee convention.

\n

","elementId":"4cd22e92-aeec-4b31-a813-826eb4b860bc"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671452780000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"12.26 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671460607000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"14.36 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671453303000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"12.35 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"12.35","title":"Labour and Lib Dems urge government to abandon ‘unworkable, unethical, expensive’ Rwanda policy","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a052808f0816e812ef2c8a","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Suella Braverman, the home secretary, says she wants to press on with the Rwanda deportation policy “as soon as possible” in the light of today’s court judgment. She made the comment in one of several tweets on the ruling, saying: “My focus remains on moving ahead with the policy as soon as possible and we stand ready to defend against any further legal challenge.”

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Our ground-breaking migration partnership with Rwanda will provide individuals relocated with support to build new lives there, while disrupting the business model of people smuggling gangs putting lives at risk through dangerous and illegal small boat crossings. 1/3

&mdash; Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

\n","url":"https://twitter.com/SuellaBraverman/status/1604807355530711041","id":"1604807355530711041","hasMedia":false,"role":"inline","isThirdPartyTracking":false,"source":"Twitter","elementId":"2425e5be-261c-4a09-a7de-a34ecc0337f0"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TweetBlockElement","html":"

We have always maintained that this policy is lawful and today the High Court has upheld this. 2/3

&mdash; Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

\n","url":"https://twitter.com/SuellaBraverman/status/1604807359456583684","id":"1604807359456583684","hasMedia":false,"role":"inline","isThirdPartyTracking":false,"source":"Twitter","elementId":"8cd2f032-1145-4998-808b-f69fe3490ad0"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TweetBlockElement","html":"

I am committed to making this Partnership work – my focus remains on moving ahead with the policy as soon as possible and we stand ready to defend against any further legal challenge. 3/3

&mdash; Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

\n","url":"https://twitter.com/SuellaBraverman/status/1604807361595691009","id":"1604807361595691009","hasMedia":false,"role":"inline","isThirdPartyTracking":false,"source":"Twitter","elementId":"cf5ce226-2308-4f92-a407-d40d2528eede"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Braverman notoriously told an event at the Tory party conference that having a Telegraph front page showing a plane with asylum seekers on it leaving the UK for Rwanda was her “dream” and “obsession”.

","elementId":"b44ce396-ef3e-4611-bb27-129982d2ffe3"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671451264000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"12.01 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671451921000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"12.12 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671451809000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"12.10 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"12.10","title":"Braverman says she wants to press on with Rwanda policy ‘as soon as possible’ in light of court judgment","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a03d8b8f0816e812ef2b62","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Steve Barclay, the health secretary, was reprimanded by a mother during a hospital visit this morning for suggesting that Covid was mainly to blame for problems with the health service.

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Barclay and other ministers have repeatedly argued that the problems facing the NHS are to a large extent caused by the impact of the pandemic.

","elementId":"0717b9f0-3bd6-43e5-8154-ffc2eb15d652"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

But when Sarah Pinnington-Auld met Barclay as he visited as he visited King’s UCollege hospital in London, she told him she was not convinced by this argument.

","elementId":"f1d35dcd-7305-47b6-8408-f48f2ad545cb"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

As Sky News reports, Pinnington-Auld, whose three-year-old daughter has cystic fibrosis and was being treated in the hospital, said:

","elementId":"f027a781-5941-48da-be40-0d6b43b47b5b"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

We were short of doctors, we were short of beds going into the pandemic so I think it is really wrong to blame it on the pandemic.

\n

","elementId":"8f6245d8-d4d4-4a28-8109-6c519f097967"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

She also said that government should be spending more on social care, and that she was concerned that Britain was moving closer to a privatised healthcare model like America’s, where the rich would get a much better service than the poor.

","elementId":"291a0b64-eb59-4094-beb1-dbfb99214d7b"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

According to Sky News, Pinnington-Auld has in the past expressed her support for Labour on social media.

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Priti Patel, the former home secretary who negotiated the deal with Rwanda for asylum seekers arriving in the UK to be deported there, said in a statement on Twitter that this morning’s court judgment vindicates her “world-leading” policy.

","elementId":"d74eb981-c9d5-42ec-83a8-d613ba4312c6"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TweetBlockElement","html":"

I welcome the High Court ruling my world-leading Economic &amp; Migration Partnership with Rwanda is lawful. No single policy will stop the Channel crossings, but this important policy will save lives, help break the business model of the criminal gangs &amp; prevent asylum abuse.

&mdash; Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) December 19, 2022

\n","url":"https://twitter.com/pritipatel/status/1604800471771889665","id":"1604800471771889665","hasMedia":false,"role":"inline","isThirdPartyTracking":false,"source":"Twitter","elementId":"bb8c745e-07b1-4e62-890f-e8d43e50e9d2"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671449674000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"11.34 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671449896000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"11.38 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671449896000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"11.38 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"11.38","title":"Priti Patel says court judgment has vindicated her ‘world-leading’ Rwanda policy","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a049218f0816e812ef2c0d","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

One of the issues considered by the high court was whether the government’s Rwanda policy was incompatible with the UK’s obligations under the UN refugee convention, as many campaigners have claimed. Here is paragraph 121 from the full judgment, which explains why this argument was rejected.

","elementId":"b23ce5eb-dd57-4ffd-ba24-832c0cd41be3"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

Mr Drabble KC [who was representing two of the asylum seekers threatened with deportation] submitted that the refugee convention imposes an obligation on contracting states to determine all asylum claims made, on their merits. We disagree. There is no such obligation on the face of the convention. The obligation that is imposed is the one at article 33, not to expel or return a refugee to a place where his life or freedom would be threatened by reason of any of the characteristics that the convention protects. Mr Drabble’s submission was that an obligation to determine asylum claims would be consistent with the spirit and purpose of the convention and could therefore reasonably be assumed. Again, we disagree. Obligations in international treaties are formulated with considerable care. They reflect balances struck following detailed negotiations between states parties. An obligation to determine every asylum claim on its merits would be a significant addition to the refugee convention. There is no reason to infer the existence of an obligation of that order; to do so would go well beyond the limits of any notion of judicial construction of an international agreement; and the protection that is necessary if the purpose of the convention is to be met, is provided by article 33.

\n

","elementId":"b2a24776-059d-4022-a10b-d892aec88a73"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671448865000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"11.21 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671449733000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"11.35 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671449544000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"11.32 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"11.32","title":"Why high court ruled Rwanda policy not incompatible with refugee convention","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a0427e8f0816e812ef2bb7","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

And here is the key quote from the summary of the judgment.

","elementId":"d9706df3-daa4-4921-9a68-d8499b04b6db"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

The court has concluded that, it is lawful for the government to make arrangements for relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda and for their asylum claims to be determined in Rwanda rather than in the United Kingdom. On the evidence before this court, the government has made arrangements with the government of Rwanda which are intended to ensure that the asylum claims of people relocated to Rwanda are properly determined in Rwanda. In those circumstances, the relocation of asylum seekers to Rwanda is consistent with the refugee convention and with the statutory and other legal obligations on the government including the obligations imposed by the Human Rights Act 1998.

\n

","elementId":"63cedff8-9955-45ec-b088-6d88769967bd"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671447166000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"10.52 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671447655000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"11.00 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671447259000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"10.54 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"10.54","title":"Sending asylum seekers to Rwanda ‘consistent with refugee convention and Human Rights Act’, says high court","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a03f4e8f0834f3c057c36d","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

PA Media has just snapped this.

","elementId":"8f886b6b-cba1-46e3-bede-01a55c9a2565"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

Government plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda are lawful, the high court has ruled.

\n

","elementId":"32dfa81c-4a89-4add-98ec-a565b031ba96"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

I will post more on this when I get it.

","elementId":"3dde42c7-4170-4140-9141-6e5e50d1130c"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

The ruling is likely to be appealed, so this won’t be the end of the matter, but this still looks like a significant win for the government.

","elementId":"8c1f0931-590e-43ea-81a6-58e443ed2677"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671446350000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"10.39 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671446522000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"10.42 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671446444000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"10.40 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"10.40","title":"Government plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda are lawful, high court rules","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a03ae58f085e6820542fcb","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

One of the many peculiar features of 2022 was that although the Treasury made multiple budget-style announcements, including Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget, we have not had a proper budget all year. In March, when Rishi Sunak was chancellor, he delivered a spring statement, not a budget. And Jeremy Hunt’s most recent tax and spending announcement was formally billed as an autumn statement.

","elementId":"24c24df2-18b1-4bb2-a50b-998e14ead531"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

But we will get a formal budget in the spring, Hunt has announced. In a written statement, the chancellor said:

","elementId":"4723cb5c-cc66-4994-838d-3a6b020928e2"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

Today I can inform the house that I have asked the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to prepare a forecast for 15 March 2023 to accompany a spring budget.

\n

This forecast, in addition to the forecast that took place in November 2022, will fulfil the obligation for the OBR to produce at least two forecasts in a financial year, as is required by legislation.

\n

","elementId":"01a8d705-c0f1-45fe-bf3b-01347297c14c"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

This will be the first formal budget since October 2021.

","elementId":"e3093b72-f76d-4bb2-a385-c6b65e668374"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671445221000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"10.20 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671446291000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"10.38 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671445849000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"10.30 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"10.30","title":"Hunt says next budget to take place on Wednesday 15 March","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a033db8f0834f3c057c2fc","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Negotiations between ambulance service leaders and unions are still continuing over exactly what services will be maintained during Wednesday’s strike in England and Wales, the interim chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, told BBC Breakfast this morning.

","elementId":"939bb44c-76da-40ad-ae31-e72c725b1e8f"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

NHS Providers represents NHS trusts, and Cordery said talks were taking place at national level and local level.

","elementId":"b5fce3a8-68e8-4e74-914a-4334926a9bc0"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Asked if people would have to make their own way to hospital, she replied:

","elementId":"6df0bf03-c75a-4b2e-9f64-6fe902b1b466"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

If someone has a life and limb emergency, they should call 999. And if it’s not that kind of emergency, they will be told to seek different advice.

\n

If they think they’ve got the kind of emergency where they would usually call 111, then they should do that, or they should consult a GP or pharmacist. They must use the usual routes available to them and take that advice. There may well be alternative advice available to them that wouldn’t ordinarily be the case.

\n

So perhaps they will be advised to get themselves to hospital, but they should wait to seek that medical advice.

\n

","elementId":"92dab1af-ed22-4eba-883b-1d02e68d29f3"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Cordery also said it would be an “incredibly challenging and disrupted week” for the NHS because there was another strike by nurses too. She told BBC Breakfast:

","elementId":"d2e68808-582d-4549-b1dc-ad01bcd5b1a6"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

This is going to be an incredibly challenging and disrupted week, not only because we have the ambulance service coming out on strike across nearly every region, but also because we’ve got these sequential strikes.

\n

So we’ve got nurses’ industrial action on Tuesday, and then ambulance services on Wednesday, and I think one will impact the other.

\n

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Rishi Sunak has touched down in the Latvian capital, where he is meeting northern European allies to discuss countering Russian aggression, PA Media reports. PA says:

","elementId":"bfe0d3ff-6ec3-4a43-a631-bf4d8dcff8d1"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

The prime minister landed in snowy Riga at 11.20am local time, stepping out of the plane into a gusty -4C.

\n

He will urge fellow leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) to stand firm in their support for Ukraine, after announcing a major new artillery package for the war-torn nation.

\n

He will continue his whistlestop tour by flying to Estonia later on Monday, where he will meet British troops and sign a new technology partnership.

\n

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Here is the No 10 news release about the visit. And here is my colleague Jessica Elgot’s overnight preview story:

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arrives in Latvia for summit with fellow leaders from JEF military partnership","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a01d848f0834f3c057c26c","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Good morning. We’re in the final week before Christmas, and the strikes affecting public services are set to get even more serious. Last week’s strike by the Royal College of Nursing was unprecedented, because the RCN had never called a strike before, but ministers fear that a strike by ambulance staff in England and Wales on Wednesday could be even more serious because of the impact it will have on patients needing emergency care.

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As Jessica Elgot and Andrew Gregory report in their overnight story, Steve Barclay, the health secretary, has signalled that he is open to further talks in the hope of averting this week’s strike.

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But this morning the leaders of Britain’s two biggest unions, Unison and Unite, which represent ambulance staff, have played down the prospect of any meaningful talks happening, saying the government’s refusal to discuss pay is making discussion pointless.

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In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Sharon Graham, the Unite general secretary, said it was Barclay himself who was holding the country to ransom. She said:

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\n

Look at Scotland. The government there came back to the negotiating table, made a new offer and the strikes were cancelled. Yet in England they refuse to negotiate a new deal with the unions or go back to the pay review body.

\n

It’s Steve Barclay who is holding the country to ransom. He will have to carry the can if patients suffer because he thinks this is his Thatcher moment.

\n

","elementId":"c3172e1b-590d-4df5-98fd-4757144c9326"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

And on the Today programme this morning Christina McAnea, the Unison general secretary, said ministers were being impossible. She said:

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\n

The government has been completely intransigent here. We’ve been calling on them for weeks and weeks to talk to us about this, to actually sit down and have a proper discussion before we try and resolve this dispute, and they have adamantly refused to do that.

\n

I don’t know how much stronger myself, or Pat Cullen [the RCN general secretary] or Gary Smith of the GMB [need to be] – all of us are saying the same thing, we are prepared to talk to you, but they will not talk to us about the elephant in the room, which is pay.

\n

","elementId":"da01cd3f-61b7-4295-8382-04b7a72fa235"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

McAnea said she last met Barclay herself five weeks ago, for about 15 minutes. She said there was “no trust left” between unions and the government and that, for Wednesday’s ambulance strike to be called off, ministers would have to promise to open negotiations on pay. She said:

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\n

It has be a very firm commitment. There is no trust left between us and the government. They would have to come up with something more that was more than just ‘Let’s talk about this’ for us to call off the strike on Wednesday.

\n

","elementId":"299fd51b-192d-4e6e-b8fe-3895983661cd"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Of course, the ambulance strike is not the only public service strike coming this week. Here is the advent calendar of strikes for this month.

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Here is the agenda for the day.

","elementId":"570cff05-7594-460b-bf4f-b55e78769b0b"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

10.30am: The high court delivers judgments in legal challenges to the government’s Rwanda deportation policy.

","elementId":"02858c52-7973-440a-97b1-48bd38be30aa"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Morning: Rishi Sunak arrives in Riga, Latvia, for a meeting of leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force, the UK-led defence group mostly made up of Nordic and Baltic countries. Later he will go to Estonia to meet British troops stationed there.

","elementId":"2c5ed6b6-33e5-4948-814c-55f2c6670043"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

","elementId":"dd057ea4-4cd6-4c51-9353-b7e1faa3cd87"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

2.30pm: Suella Braverman, the home secretary, takes questions in the Commons.

","elementId":"fa711954-b055-465d-b501-391a5643ce4d"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

I’ll try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

","elementId":"cceef6a3-a8ae-456a-87ae-db8fecc82840"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

","elementId":"58b01216-44bc-42a6-b448-6ae753f16fd4"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com.

","elementId":"f05160d0-67df-4a43-9d62-15a2f7fc376e"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671441631000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"09.20 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671451944000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"12.12 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671441631000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"09.20 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"09.20","title":"Union leaders dismiss chances of talks leading to ambulance strike being called off, blaming government intransigence","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"}],"filterKeyEvents":false,"format":{"display":0,"theme":0,"design":10},"id":"key-events-carousel-mobile"}”>

Key events

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And here are some more lines from Rishi Sunak’s broadcast interview in Riga.

","elementId":"e3af1a80-1a39-48dc-85a6-44fdcb484ece"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

\n

• Sunak urged the unions to do everything they could to minimise the impact of this week’s health strikes, if they were not willing to call them off. He said:

\n

","elementId":"6817af0f-aaf8-4399-bec6-8a888b3f81d4"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

I’m really disappointed to see that the unions are calling these strikes, particularly at Christmas, particularly when it has such an impact on people’s day-to-day lives with the disruption it causes and the impact on their health.

\n

I would urge them to keep considering whether these strikes are really necessary and do everything they can to alleviate the impact it’s going to have on people.

\n

The government, for its part, is being responsible in putting in place contingency measures to make sure we are well prepared to handle the disruption that is coming.

\n

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In an article for the Mail on Sunday yesterday, Steve Barclay, the health secretary, claimed that “some unions representing ambulance crews are being less than cooperative in negotiations about staff cover on strike days”.

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\n

• Sunak said the door was “always open” for the unions to meet ministers – but he seemed to rule out holding new talks on pay. He said:

\n

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\n

Our door is always open – the health secretary has been very clear with that – of course we are always happy to sit down and talk to people to try and work through difficult challenges like this, that’s always been the case.

\n

","elementId":"b96ef17e-463d-416b-a519-1022b76a3e57"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

But, on pay, he stressed the importance of the “independent process” (having pay review bodies make recommendations). He also said the government needed to control inflation by having “a responsible and fair approach to pay”.

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\n

• He implicitly criticised Jeremy Clarkson for what he said about the Duchess of Sussex in his Sun column last week. But he did not accept that the Clarkson column showed that Britain was a racist country. Asked about Clarkson’s comments, he said:

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I think for everyone in public life, language matters. You asked about racism. Now, I’ve seen some of the things that have been said. I absolutely don’t believe that Britain is a racist country. And I’d hope that as our nation’s first British Asian prime minister, when I say that it carries some weight.

\n

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Rishi Sunak has welcomed the high court judgment saying the government’s Rwanda deportation policy for asylum seekers is legal. In a clip for broadcasters from Riga, he said the policy was a “common sense position” supported by “the vast majority of the British public”. He said:

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Well, I welcome the decision of the court today. We’ve always maintained that our Rwanda policy is lawful, and I’m pleased that was confirmed today and this is just one part of our plan to tackle illegal migration.

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Last week, I set out a very comprehensive approach to stopping the boats from coming to the UK. It’s not going to be easy and we’re not going to be able to do it overnight.

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But I’m confident that with the steps I laid out last week, we really can get to grips with illegal migration, because I think what we all want to see, and what I want to deliver, is a system whereby if you come to the UK illegally, you will not have the right to stay and we will be able to return you to your own country if it’s safe or a safe alternative like Rwanda.

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That’s the common sense position, I think, of the vast majority of the British public. It’s my position, and that’s what I want to deliver as prime minister.

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In fact, ever since the Rwanda policy was announced in April, public opinion on it has always been divided. One more recent poll suggests that an alternative policy for dealing with small boats – making it easier for people to apply for asylum in the UK from overseas (broadly something Labour favours) – is more popular.

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Really interesting polling from @YouGov. Just 10% of people think the Rwanda plan is the best way to deal with the channel boats issue. Tories/Lab supporters split on what the right approach would be. pic.twitter.com/SrncMB9n4h

&mdash; Sam Freedman (@Samfr) December 19, 2022

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Rishi Sunak has joined other senior Tories who have criticised the football pundit and former England player Gary Neville for his attack on the government’s nurses’ pay policy yesterday.

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During his World Cup commentary, Neville suggested there were similarities between the government’s approach to nurses and the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar. He accused ministers of “demonising rail workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly, nurses”.

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In an interview with the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves, who was invited to accompany Sunak on his trip to Latvia, Sunak was asked about Neville’s comments. He replied:

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I think when most people are tuning in to watch Gary Neville they want to hear about the football and watch the football. They don’t want to discuss politics.

\n

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Sunak also said that he came from an NHS family and that as chancellor and PM he had prioritised the health service. “During Covid when there was a pay freeze in the rest of the public sector, the one area that got special treatment was the NHS. I did that as chancellor,” he said.

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Other Tories have been more blunt. This is from Simon Clarke, the former levelling up secretary.

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Totally right from @NJ_Timothy. It is beyond ridiculous that @GNev2 is given free rein by @ITVSport to overtly politicise a major sporting event. Quite apart from the fact every nurse is receiving a pay rise of £1400, to compare workers’ rights in Qatar with the UK is grotesque. https://t.co/cAVqLU8nO5

&mdash; Simon Clarke MP (@SimonClarkeMP) December 18, 2022

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urges Gary Neville to stick to football after pundit’s low pay outburst prompts Tory protests","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a057f38f085e6820543146","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Charities that work with refugees have reacted with alarm to the high court judgment on the Rwanda policy.

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Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said:

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This bitterly disappointing decision draws attention to the limitations of domestic law when it comes to the UK meeting its obligations under international law.

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We remain gravely concerned that the government’s Rwanda deal seriously undermines international refugee law and rides roughshod over the rights of people seeking asylum in the UK.

\n

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Katy Chakrabortty, head of policy and advocacy at Oxfam, said:

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The high court’s ruling is deeply disappointing. But just because something is legal, does not make it humane.

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The government’s plans to offshore our asylum responsibilities to Rwanda are cruel and immoral, and will do nothing to tackle the issue of dangerous small boat crossings. We need a reversal of this barbaric policy, and the creation of more safe and legal routes for those fleeing conflict and persecution to the UK.

\n

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Josie Naughton, the CEO of Choose Love, which helped to fund the claim by Asylum Aid (one of the various cases considered by the high court in its judgment), said:

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Today is a dark moment for upholding human rights in the UK. Hostility has come at the expense of compassion, and the country is turning its back on the principle that all should have rights to live in freedom and in safety. Today’s ruling sets a dangerous precedent for evading international and moral commitments towards those seeking asylum.

\n

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And Beth Gardiner-Smith, the CEO of Safe Passage International, said:

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Today’s decision is deeply disappointing, and our thoughts are with all of those who are at risk of deportation under this cruel policy. As well as being immoral, this plan won’t work in practice to deter people from making dangerous journeys across the Channel as we have seen this year. Instead, it will inflict huge misery and suffering on refugees who have already experienced significant trauma.

\n

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Responding to the high court judgment, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said the government should abandon the Rwanda policy because it was unworkable and expensive. She said in a statement:

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The Rwanda scheme is a damaging distraction from the urgent action the government should be taking to go after the criminal gangs and sort out the asylum system. It is unworkable, unethical, extortionately expensive.

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Ministers have already written a £140m cheque to Rwanda without the policy even starting, with millions more promised even though Home Office officials say there’s no evidence it’ll provide a deterrent and it risks making trafficking worse.

\n

The Rwandan government has said it can only process 200 people a year – or 0.5% of Channel crossings this year.

\n

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And the Liberal Democrats have also renewed their call for the government to abandon the policy, on the same grounds. This is from Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dems’ home affair spokesperson:

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Whether or not it is lawful, the Conservatives’ Rwanda asylum plan is immoral, ineffective and incredibly costly for taxpayers.

\n

It will do nothing to stop dangerous Channel crossings or combat people smuggling and human trafficking; instead it will give criminal gangs more power and profits.

\n

The Conservatives are betraying the UK’s proud tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees fleeing war and persecution, and breaching our commitments under the 1951 UN refugee convention.

\n

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Suella Braverman, the home secretary, says she wants to press on with the Rwanda deportation policy “as soon as possible” in the light of today’s court judgment. She made the comment in one of several tweets on the ruling, saying: “My focus remains on moving ahead with the policy as soon as possible and we stand ready to defend against any further legal challenge.”

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Our ground-breaking migration partnership with Rwanda will provide individuals relocated with support to build new lives there, while disrupting the business model of people smuggling gangs putting lives at risk through dangerous and illegal small boat crossings. 1/3

&mdash; Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

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We have always maintained that this policy is lawful and today the High Court has upheld this. 2/3

&mdash; Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

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I am committed to making this Partnership work – my focus remains on moving ahead with the policy as soon as possible and we stand ready to defend against any further legal challenge. 3/3

&mdash; Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

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Braverman notoriously told an event at the Tory party conference that having a Telegraph front page showing a plane with asylum seekers on it leaving the UK for Rwanda was her “dream” and “obsession”.

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Steve Barclay, the health secretary, was reprimanded by a mother during a hospital visit this morning for suggesting that Covid was mainly to blame for problems with the health service.

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Barclay and other ministers have repeatedly argued that the problems facing the NHS are to a large extent caused by the impact of the pandemic.

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But when Sarah Pinnington-Auld met Barclay as he visited as he visited King’s UCollege hospital in London, she told him she was not convinced by this argument.

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As Sky News reports, Pinnington-Auld, whose three-year-old daughter has cystic fibrosis and was being treated in the hospital, said:

","elementId":"f027a781-5941-48da-be40-0d6b43b47b5b"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

\n

We were short of doctors, we were short of beds going into the pandemic so I think it is really wrong to blame it on the pandemic.

\n

","elementId":"8f6245d8-d4d4-4a28-8109-6c519f097967"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

She also said that government should be spending more on social care, and that she was concerned that Britain was moving closer to a privatised healthcare model like America’s, where the rich would get a much better service than the poor.

","elementId":"291a0b64-eb59-4094-beb1-dbfb99214d7b"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

According to Sky News, Pinnington-Auld has in the past expressed her support for Labour on social media.

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Priti Patel, the former home secretary who negotiated the deal with Rwanda for asylum seekers arriving in the UK to be deported there, said in a statement on Twitter that this morning’s court judgment vindicates her “world-leading” policy.

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I welcome the High Court ruling my world-leading Economic &amp; Migration Partnership with Rwanda is lawful. No single policy will stop the Channel crossings, but this important policy will save lives, help break the business model of the criminal gangs &amp; prevent asylum abuse.

&mdash; Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) December 19, 2022

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One of the issues considered by the high court was whether the government’s Rwanda policy was incompatible with the UK’s obligations under the UN refugee convention, as many campaigners have claimed. Here is paragraph 121 from the full judgment, which explains why this argument was rejected.

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\n

Mr Drabble KC [who was representing two of the asylum seekers threatened with deportation] submitted that the refugee convention imposes an obligation on contracting states to determine all asylum claims made, on their merits. We disagree. There is no such obligation on the face of the convention. The obligation that is imposed is the one at article 33, not to expel or return a refugee to a place where his life or freedom would be threatened by reason of any of the characteristics that the convention protects. Mr Drabble’s submission was that an obligation to determine asylum claims would be consistent with the spirit and purpose of the convention and could therefore reasonably be assumed. Again, we disagree. Obligations in international treaties are formulated with considerable care. They reflect balances struck following detailed negotiations between states parties. An obligation to determine every asylum claim on its merits would be a significant addition to the refugee convention. There is no reason to infer the existence of an obligation of that order; to do so would go well beyond the limits of any notion of judicial construction of an international agreement; and the protection that is necessary if the purpose of the convention is to be met, is provided by article 33.

\n

","elementId":"b2a24776-059d-4022-a10b-d892aec88a73"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671448865000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"11.21 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671449733000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"11.35 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671449544000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"11.32 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"11.32","title":"Why high court ruled Rwanda policy not incompatible with refugee convention","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a0427e8f0816e812ef2bb7","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

And here is the key quote from the summary of the judgment.

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\n

The court has concluded that, it is lawful for the government to make arrangements for relocating asylum seekers to Rwanda and for their asylum claims to be determined in Rwanda rather than in the United Kingdom. On the evidence before this court, the government has made arrangements with the government of Rwanda which are intended to ensure that the asylum claims of people relocated to Rwanda are properly determined in Rwanda. In those circumstances, the relocation of asylum seekers to Rwanda is consistent with the refugee convention and with the statutory and other legal obligations on the government including the obligations imposed by the Human Rights Act 1998.

\n

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PA Media has just snapped this.

","elementId":"8f886b6b-cba1-46e3-bede-01a55c9a2565"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

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Government plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda are lawful, the high court has ruled.

\n

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I will post more on this when I get it.

","elementId":"3dde42c7-4170-4140-9141-6e5e50d1130c"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

The ruling is likely to be appealed, so this won’t be the end of the matter, but this still looks like a significant win for the government.

","elementId":"8c1f0931-590e-43ea-81a6-58e443ed2677"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671446350000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"10.39 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671446522000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"10.42 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671446444000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"10.40 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"10.40","title":"Government plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda are lawful, high court rules","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a03ae58f085e6820542fcb","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

One of the many peculiar features of 2022 was that although the Treasury made multiple budget-style announcements, including Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget, we have not had a proper budget all year. In March, when Rishi Sunak was chancellor, he delivered a spring statement, not a budget. And Jeremy Hunt’s most recent tax and spending announcement was formally billed as an autumn statement.

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But we will get a formal budget in the spring, Hunt has announced. In a written statement, the chancellor said:

","elementId":"4723cb5c-cc66-4994-838d-3a6b020928e2"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

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Today I can inform the house that I have asked the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to prepare a forecast for 15 March 2023 to accompany a spring budget.

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This forecast, in addition to the forecast that took place in November 2022, will fulfil the obligation for the OBR to produce at least two forecasts in a financial year, as is required by legislation.

\n

","elementId":"01a8d705-c0f1-45fe-bf3b-01347297c14c"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

This will be the first formal budget since October 2021.

","elementId":"e3093b72-f76d-4bb2-a385-c6b65e668374"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1671445221000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"10.20 GMT","blockLastUpdated":1671446291000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"10.38 GMT","blockFirstPublished":1671445849000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"10.30 GMT","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"10.30","title":"Hunt says next budget to take place on Wednesday 15 March","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a033db8f0834f3c057c2fc","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Negotiations between ambulance service leaders and unions are still continuing over exactly what services will be maintained during Wednesday’s strike in England and Wales, the interim chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, told BBC Breakfast this morning.

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NHS Providers represents NHS trusts, and Cordery said talks were taking place at national level and local level.

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Asked if people would have to make their own way to hospital, she replied:

","elementId":"6df0bf03-c75a-4b2e-9f64-6fe902b1b466"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

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If someone has a life and limb emergency, they should call 999. And if it’s not that kind of emergency, they will be told to seek different advice.

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If they think they’ve got the kind of emergency where they would usually call 111, then they should do that, or they should consult a GP or pharmacist. They must use the usual routes available to them and take that advice. There may well be alternative advice available to them that wouldn’t ordinarily be the case.

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So perhaps they will be advised to get themselves to hospital, but they should wait to seek that medical advice.

\n

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Cordery also said it would be an “incredibly challenging and disrupted week” for the NHS because there was another strike by nurses too. She told BBC Breakfast:

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This is going to be an incredibly challenging and disrupted week, not only because we have the ambulance service coming out on strike across nearly every region, but also because we’ve got these sequential strikes.

\n

So we’ve got nurses’ industrial action on Tuesday, and then ambulance services on Wednesday, and I think one will impact the other.

\n

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Rishi Sunak has touched down in the Latvian capital, where he is meeting northern European allies to discuss countering Russian aggression, PA Media reports. PA says:

","elementId":"bfe0d3ff-6ec3-4a43-a631-bf4d8dcff8d1"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"

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The prime minister landed in snowy Riga at 11.20am local time, stepping out of the plane into a gusty -4C.

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He will urge fellow leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) to stand firm in their support for Ukraine, after announcing a major new artillery package for the war-torn nation.

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He will continue his whistlestop tour by flying to Estonia later on Monday, where he will meet British troops and sign a new technology partnership.

\n

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Here is the No 10 news release about the visit. And here is my colleague Jessica Elgot’s overnight preview story:

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arrives in Latvia for summit with fellow leaders from JEF military partnership","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Mon 19 Dec 2022 14.47 GMT","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Mon 19 Dec 2022 09.20 GMT"},{"id":"63a01d848f0834f3c057c26c","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Good morning. We’re in the final week before Christmas, and the strikes affecting public services are set to get even more serious. Last week’s strike by the Royal College of Nursing was unprecedented, because the RCN had never called a strike before, but ministers fear that a strike by ambulance staff in England and Wales on Wednesday could be even more serious because of the impact it will have on patients needing emergency care.

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As Jessica Elgot and Andrew Gregory report in their overnight story, Steve Barclay, the health secretary, has signalled that he is open to further talks in the hope of averting this week’s strike.

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But this morning the leaders of Britain’s two biggest unions, Unison and Unite, which represent ambulance staff, have played down the prospect of any meaningful talks happening, saying the government’s refusal to discuss pay is making discussion pointless.

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In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Sharon Graham, the Unite general secretary, said it was Barclay himself who was holding the country to ransom. She said:

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\n

Look at Scotland. The government there came back to the negotiating table, made a new offer and the strikes were cancelled. Yet in England they refuse to negotiate a new deal with the unions or go back to the pay review body.

\n

It’s Steve Barclay who is holding the country to ransom. He will have to carry the can if patients suffer because he thinks this is his Thatcher moment.

\n

","elementId":"c3172e1b-590d-4df5-98fd-4757144c9326"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

And on the Today programme this morning Christina McAnea, the Unison general secretary, said ministers were being impossible. She said:

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\n

The government has been completely intransigent here. We’ve been calling on them for weeks and weeks to talk to us about this, to actually sit down and have a proper discussion before we try and resolve this dispute, and they have adamantly refused to do that.

\n

I don’t know how much stronger myself, or Pat Cullen [the RCN general secretary] or Gary Smith of the GMB [need to be] – all of us are saying the same thing, we are prepared to talk to you, but they will not talk to us about the elephant in the room, which is pay.

\n

","elementId":"da01cd3f-61b7-4295-8382-04b7a72fa235"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

McAnea said she last met Barclay herself five weeks ago, for about 15 minutes. She said there was “no trust left” between unions and the government and that, for Wednesday’s ambulance strike to be called off, ministers would have to promise to open negotiations on pay. She said:

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\n

It has be a very firm commitment. There is no trust left between us and the government. They would have to come up with something more that was more than just ‘Let’s talk about this’ for us to call off the strike on Wednesday.

\n

","elementId":"299fd51b-192d-4e6e-b8fe-3895983661cd"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Of course, the ambulance strike is not the only public service strike coming this week. Here is the advent calendar of strikes for this month.

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Here is the agenda for the day.

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10.30am: The high court delivers judgments in legal challenges to the government’s Rwanda deportation policy.

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Morning: Rishi Sunak arrives in Riga, Latvia, for a meeting of leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force, the UK-led defence group mostly made up of Nordic and Baltic countries. Later he will go to Estonia to meet British troops stationed there.

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11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

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2.30pm: Suella Braverman, the home secretary, takes questions in the Commons.

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I’ll try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

","elementId":"cceef6a3-a8ae-456a-87ae-db8fecc82840"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

","elementId":"58b01216-44bc-42a6-b448-6ae753f16fd4"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"

Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com.

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Sunak urges unions to do ‘everything they can’ to minimise impact of health strikes

And here are some more lines from Rishi Sunak’s broadcast interview in Riga.

I’m really disappointed to see that the unions are calling these strikes, particularly at Christmas, particularly when it has such an impact on people’s day-to-day lives with the disruption it causes and the impact on their health.

I would urge them to keep considering whether these strikes are really necessary and do everything they can to alleviate the impact it’s going to have on people.

The government, for its part, is being responsible in putting in place contingency measures to make sure we are well prepared to handle the disruption that is coming.

In an article for the Mail on Sunday yesterday, Steve Barclay, the health secretary, claimed that “some unions representing ambulance crews are being less than cooperative in negotiations about staff cover on strike days”.

Our door is always open – the health secretary has been very clear with that – of course we are always happy to sit down and talk to people to try and work through difficult challenges like this, that’s always been the case.

But, on pay, he stressed the importance of the “independent process” (having pay review bodies make recommendations). He also said the government needed to control inflation by having “a responsible and fair approach to pay”.

• He implicitly criticised Jeremy Clarkson for what he said about the Duchess of Sussex in his Sun column last week. But he did not accept that the Clarkson column showed that Britain was a racist country. Asked about Clarkson’s comments, he said:

I think for everyone in public life, language matters. You asked about racism. Now, I’ve seen some of the things that have been said. I absolutely don’t believe that Britain is a racist country. And I’d hope that as our nation’s first British Asian prime minister, when I say that it carries some weight.

Sunak claims Rwanda policy is ‘common sense position’ backed by ‘vast majority of public’ – despite polls saying otherwise

Rishi Sunak has welcomed the high court judgment saying the government’s Rwanda deportation policy for asylum seekers is legal. In a clip for broadcasters from Riga, he said the policy was a “common sense position” supported by “the vast majority of the British public”. He said:

Well, I welcome the decision of the court today. We’ve always maintained that our Rwanda policy is lawful, and I’m pleased that was confirmed today and this is just one part of our plan to tackle illegal migration.

Last week, I set out a very comprehensive approach to stopping the boats from coming to the UK. It’s not going to be easy and we’re not going to be able to do it overnight.

But I’m confident that with the steps I laid out last week, we really can get to grips with illegal migration, because I think what we all want to see, and what I want to deliver, is a system whereby if you come to the UK illegally, you will not have the right to stay and we will be able to return you to your own country if it’s safe or a safe alternative like Rwanda.

That’s the common sense position, I think, of the vast majority of the British public. It’s my position, and that’s what I want to deliver as prime minister.

In fact, ever since the Rwanda policy was announced in April, public opinion on it has always been divided. One more recent poll suggests that an alternative policy for dealing with small boats – making it easier for people to apply for asylum in the UK from overseas (broadly something Labour favours) – is more popular.

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Really interesting polling from @YouGov. Just 10% of people think the Rwanda plan is the best way to deal with the channel boats issue. Tories/Lab supporters split on what the right approach would be. pic.twitter.com/SrncMB9n4h

&mdash; Sam Freedman (@Samfr) December 19, 2022

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Really interesting polling from @YouGov. Just 10% of people think the Rwanda plan is the best way to deal with the channel boats issue. Tories/Lab supporters split on what the right approach would be. pic.twitter.com/SrncMB9n4h

— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) December 19, 2022

Here is some comment on the Rwanda high court judgment from lawyers and journalists on Twitter.

Danny Shaw, the former BBC home affairs correspondent, says the judgment made “gloomy reading” for opponents of the Rwanda scheme.

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The 438-paragraph Rwanda asylum judgment makes gloomy reading for opponents of the scheme.

On every point on which it is argued the scheme is unlawful the two judges slam the door firmly shut.

&mdash; Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) December 19, 2022

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The 438-paragraph Rwanda asylum judgment makes gloomy reading for opponents of the scheme.

On every point on which it is argued the scheme is unlawful the two judges slam the door firmly shut.

— Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) December 19, 2022

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There were 12 points challenging legality of Rwanda scheme – all dismissed.

High Court accepts there are restrictions on free speech but “the advantages that accrue to the Rwandan authorities from the [deal] provide a real incentive against any mistreatment”.

&mdash; Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) December 19, 2022

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There were 12 points challenging legality of Rwanda scheme – all dismissed.

High Court accepts there are restrictions on free speech but “the advantages that accrue to the Rwandan authorities from the [deal] provide a real incentive against any mistreatment”.

— Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) December 19, 2022

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High Court rejected UNHCR @Refugees concerns saying their evidence “carries no special weight”.

Court also said no need for @ukhomeoffice to seek Parliament’s approval for Rwanda deal because powers were “available” under legislation brought in under Tony Blair in 2004.

&mdash; Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) December 19, 2022

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High Court rejected UNHCR @Refugees concerns saying their evidence “carries no special weight”.

Court also said no need for @ukhomeoffice to seek Parliament’s approval for Rwanda deal because powers were “available” under legislation brought in under Tony Blair in 2004.

— Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) December 19, 2022

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High Court also rejected complaints @ukhomeoffice Rwanda deal was procedurally unfair saying “evidence before us does not appear to demonstrate that the arrangements prevent access to justice”.

It said @AsylumAid legal challenge on the point was “unnecessary”.

&mdash; Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) December 19, 2022

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High Court also rejected complaints @ukhomeoffice Rwanda deal was procedurally unfair saying “evidence before us does not appear to demonstrate that the arrangements prevent access to justice”.

It said @AsylumAid legal challenge on the point was “unnecessary”.

— Danny Shaw (@DannyShawNews) December 19, 2022

Adam Wagner, a human rights barrister, thinks further appeals will hold up Rwanda deportations until the election, and that ultimately no asylum seeker will ever be sent there.

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I remain of the view that nobody will ever be sent to Rwanda for their asylum claims to be processed there. But I have been wrong before!

&mdash; Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

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I remain of the view that nobody will ever be sent to Rwanda for their asylum claims to be processed there. But I have been wrong before!

— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

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There will probably be appeals to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court after that, and potentially to the European Court of Human Rights after that. Unless the govt manages to operate the scheme in the meantime I can't see those cases being resolved before the next election.

&mdash; Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

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There will probably be appeals to the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court after that, and potentially to the European Court of Human Rights after that. Unless the govt manages to operate the scheme in the meantime I can’t see those cases being resolved before the next election.

— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

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And if the domestic appeals are resolved by the next election (which is possible) and if the govt ignores the European Court/it rules the scheme is lawful, the flights will still be subject to individual legal challenges along the lines of deportation flights.

&mdash; Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

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And if the domestic appeals are resolved by the next election (which is possible) and if the govt ignores the European Court/it rules the scheme is lawful, the flights will still be subject to individual legal challenges along the lines of deportation flights.

— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

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Ultimately, the government benefits more from Schrödinger Rwanda Scheme, a beautiful idea thwarted by lefty lawyers and pesky judges, than an actual functioning Rwanda Scheme.

&mdash; Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

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Ultimately, the government benefits more from Schrödinger Rwanda Scheme, a beautiful idea thwarted by lefty lawyers and pesky judges, than an actual functioning Rwanda Scheme.

— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

<gu-island name="TweetBlockComponent" deferuntil="visible" props="{"element":{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TweetBlockElement","html":"

The govt is probably looking at this as &quot;if we just manage to get a handful of asylum seekers to Rwanda before the election that's a big victory&quot;. What a sad, morally bankrupt point this govt has got to for that to be their focus.

&mdash; Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

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The govt is probably looking at this as “if we just manage to get a handful of asylum seekers to Rwanda before the election that’s a big victory”. What a sad, morally bankrupt point this govt has got to for that to be their focus.

— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) December 19, 2022

Colin Yeo, an immigration barrister, thinks some deportations will eventually take place.

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I'm pretty sure some poor souls will end up on a flight there at some point.

&mdash; Colin Yeo (@ColinYeo1) December 19, 2022

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I’m pretty sure some poor souls will end up on a flight there at some point.

— Colin Yeo (@ColinYeo1) December 19, 2022

And Sam Freedman, a commentator and fellow at the Institute for Government thinktank, thinks what the judgment says about the need for cases to be considered carefully could limit the scope for people to be sent to Rwanda in large numbers.

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I think in practice this means they could deport some people to Rwanda (barring appeals etc…) but not at the scale required to make it a deterrent because each case will be challenged. https://t.co/R0Mpdn1amb

&mdash; Sam Freedman (@Samfr) December 19, 2022

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I think in practice this means they could deport some people to Rwanda (barring appeals etc…) but not at the scale required to make it a deterrent because each case will be challenged. https://t.co/R0Mpdn1amb

— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) December 19, 2022

Sunak urges Gary Neville to stick to football after pundit’s low pay outburst prompts Tory protests

Rishi Sunak has joined other senior Tories who have criticised the football pundit and former England player Gary Neville for his attack on the government’s nurses’ pay policy yesterday.

During his World Cup commentary, Neville suggested there were similarities between the government’s approach to nurses and the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar. He accused ministers of “demonising rail workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly, nurses”.

In an interview with the Daily Mail’s Jason Groves, who was invited to accompany Sunak on his trip to Latvia, Sunak was asked about Neville’s comments. He replied:

I think when most people are tuning in to watch Gary Neville they want to hear about the football and watch the football. They don’t want to discuss politics.

Sunak also said that he came from an NHS family and that as chancellor and PM he had prioritised the health service. “During Covid when there was a pay freeze in the rest of the public sector, the one area that got special treatment was the NHS. I did that as chancellor,” he said.

Other Tories have been more blunt. This is from Simon Clarke, the former levelling up secretary.

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Totally right from @NJ_Timothy. It is beyond ridiculous that @GNev2 is given free rein by @ITVSport to overtly politicise a major sporting event. Quite apart from the fact every nurse is receiving a pay rise of £1400, to compare workers’ rights in Qatar with the UK is grotesque. https://t.co/cAVqLU8nO5

&mdash; Simon Clarke MP (@SimonClarkeMP) December 18, 2022

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Totally right from @NJ_Timothy. It is beyond ridiculous that @GNev2 is given free rein by @ITVSport to overtly politicise a major sporting event. Quite apart from the fact every nurse is receiving a pay rise of £1400, to compare workers’ rights in Qatar with the UK is grotesque. https://t.co/cAVqLU8nO5

— Simon Clarke MP (@SimonClarkeMP) December 18, 2022

Refugee charities say high court judgment on Rwanda policy ‘deeply disappointing’

Charities that work with refugees have reacted with alarm to the high court judgment on the Rwanda policy.

Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s refugee and migrant rights director, said:

This bitterly disappointing decision draws attention to the limitations of domestic law when it comes to the UK meeting its obligations under international law.

We remain gravely concerned that the government’s Rwanda deal seriously undermines international refugee law and rides roughshod over the rights of people seeking asylum in the UK.

Katy Chakrabortty, head of policy and advocacy at Oxfam, said:

The high court’s ruling is deeply disappointing. But just because something is legal, does not make it humane.

The government’s plans to offshore our asylum responsibilities to Rwanda are cruel and immoral, and will do nothing to tackle the issue of dangerous small boat crossings. We need a reversal of this barbaric policy, and the creation of more safe and legal routes for those fleeing conflict and persecution to the UK.

Josie Naughton, the CEO of Choose Love, which helped to fund the claim by Asylum Aid (one of the various cases considered by the high court in its judgment), said:

Today is a dark moment for upholding human rights in the UK. Hostility has come at the expense of compassion, and the country is turning its back on the principle that all should have rights to live in freedom and in safety. Today’s ruling sets a dangerous precedent for evading international and moral commitments towards those seeking asylum.

And Beth Gardiner-Smith, the CEO of Safe Passage International, said:

Today’s decision is deeply disappointing, and our thoughts are with all of those who are at risk of deportation under this cruel policy. As well as being immoral, this plan won’t work in practice to deter people from making dangerous journeys across the Channel as we have seen this year. Instead, it will inflict huge misery and suffering on refugees who have already experienced significant trauma.

Labour and Lib Dems urge government to abandon ‘unworkable, unethical, expensive’ Rwanda policy

Responding to the high court judgment, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said the government should abandon the Rwanda policy because it was unworkable and expensive. She said in a statement:

The Rwanda scheme is a damaging distraction from the urgent action the government should be taking to go after the criminal gangs and sort out the asylum system. It is unworkable, unethical, extortionately expensive.

Ministers have already written a £140m cheque to Rwanda without the policy even starting, with millions more promised even though Home Office officials say there’s no evidence it’ll provide a deterrent and it risks making trafficking worse.

The Rwandan government has said it can only process 200 people a year – or 0.5% of Channel crossings this year.

And the Liberal Democrats have also renewed their call for the government to abandon the policy, on the same grounds. This is from Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dems’ home affair spokesperson:

Whether or not it is lawful, the Conservatives’ Rwanda asylum plan is immoral, ineffective and incredibly costly for taxpayers.

It will do nothing to stop dangerous Channel crossings or combat people smuggling and human trafficking; instead it will give criminal gangs more power and profits.

The Conservatives are betraying the UK’s proud tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees fleeing war and persecution, and breaching our commitments under the 1951 UN refugee convention.

Braverman says she wants to press on with Rwanda policy ‘as soon as possible’ in light of court judgment

Suella Braverman, the home secretary, says she wants to press on with the Rwanda deportation policy “as soon as possible” in the light of today’s court judgment. She made the comment in one of several tweets on the ruling, saying: “My focus remains on moving ahead with the policy as soon as possible and we stand ready to defend against any further legal challenge.”

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Our ground-breaking migration partnership with Rwanda will provide individuals relocated with support to build new lives there, while disrupting the business model of people smuggling gangs putting lives at risk through dangerous and illegal small boat crossings. 1/3

&mdash; Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

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Our ground-breaking migration partnership with Rwanda will provide individuals relocated with support to build new lives there, while disrupting the business model of people smuggling gangs putting lives at risk through dangerous and illegal small boat crossings. 1/3

— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

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We have always maintained that this policy is lawful and today the High Court has upheld this. 2/3

&mdash; Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

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We have always maintained that this policy is lawful and today the High Court has upheld this. 2/3

— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

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I am committed to making this Partnership work – my focus remains on moving ahead with the policy as soon as possible and we stand ready to defend against any further legal challenge. 3/3

&mdash; Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

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I am committed to making this Partnership work – my focus remains on moving ahead with the policy as soon as possible and we stand ready to defend against any further legal challenge. 3/3

— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) December 19, 2022

Braverman notoriously told an event at the Tory party conference that having a Telegraph front page showing a plane with asylum seekers on it leaving the UK for Rwanda was her “dream” and “obsession”.

Steve Barclay challenged about state of NHS by mother of young patient during hospital visit

Steve Barclay, the health secretary, was reprimanded by a mother during a hospital visit this morning for suggesting that Covid was mainly to blame for problems with the health service.

Barclay and other ministers have repeatedly argued that the problems facing the NHS are to a large extent caused by the impact of the pandemic.

But when Sarah Pinnington-Auld met Barclay as he visited as he visited King’s UCollege hospital in London, she told him she was not convinced by this argument.

As Sky News reports, Pinnington-Auld, whose three-year-old daughter has cystic fibrosis and was being treated in the hospital, said:

We were short of doctors, we were short of beds going into the pandemic so I think it is really wrong to blame it on the pandemic.

She also said that government should be spending more on social care, and that she was concerned that Britain was moving closer to a privatised healthcare model like America’s, where the rich would get a much better service than the poor.

According to Sky News, Pinnington-Auld has in the past expressed her support for Labour on social media.

Priti Patel says court judgment has vindicated her ‘world-leading’ Rwanda policy

Priti Patel, the former home secretary who negotiated the deal with Rwanda for asylum seekers arriving in the UK to be deported there, said in a statement on Twitter that this morning’s court judgment vindicates her “world-leading” policy.

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I welcome the High Court ruling my world-leading Economic &amp; Migration Partnership with Rwanda is lawful. No single policy will stop the Channel crossings, but this important policy will save lives, help break the business model of the criminal gangs &amp; prevent asylum abuse.

&mdash; Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) December 19, 2022

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I welcome the High Court ruling my world-leading Economic & Migration Partnership with Rwanda is lawful. No single policy will stop the Channel crossings, but this important policy will save lives, help break the business model of the criminal gangs & prevent asylum abuse.

— Priti Patel MP (@pritipatel) December 19, 2022

Why high court ruled Rwanda policy not incompatible with refugee convention

One of the issues considered by the high court was whether the government’s Rwanda policy was incompatible with the UK’s obligations under the UN refugee convention, as many campaigners have claimed. Here is paragraph 121 from the full judgment, which explains why this argument was rejected.

Mr Drabble KC [who was representing two of the asylum seekers threatened with deportation] submitted that the refugee convention imposes an obligation on contracting states to determine all asylum claims made, on their merits. We disagree. There is no such obligation on the face of the convention. The obligation that is imposed is the one at article 33, not to expel or return a refugee to a place where his life or freedom would be threatened by reason of any of the characteristics that the convention protects. Mr Drabble’s submission was that an obligation to determine asylum claims would be consistent with the spirit and purpose of the convention and could therefore reasonably be assumed. Again, we disagree. Obligations in international treaties are formulated with considerable care. They reflect balances struck following detailed negotiations between states parties. An obligation to determine every asylum claim on its merits would be a significant addition to the refugee convention. There is no reason to infer the existence of an obligation of that order; to do so would go well beyond the limits of any notion of judicial construction of an international agreement; and the protection that is necessary if the purpose of the convention is to be met, is provided by article 33.

And the Migration Observatory, a group at Oxford University that studies migration policy, says that just because the Rwanda policy has been judged lawful, that does not mean it will be effective.

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We had a pretty good idea that this was coming. There’s an important difference between the policy being judged to be legal, and it being effective at its stated objective of deterrence of small boat arrivals, which is not proven at this stage. https://t.co/dAKvft5bcK

&mdash; MigrationObservatory (@MigObs) December 19, 2022

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We had a pretty good idea that this was coming. There’s an important difference between the policy being judged to be legal, and it being effective at its stated objective of deterrence of small boat arrivals, which is not proven at this stage. https://t.co/dAKvft5bcK

— MigrationObservatory (@MigObs) December 19, 2022

The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants has posted a series of tweets saying it will continue to oppose the government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda regardless of today’s high court judgment.

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🚨BREAKING: The High Court has ruled govt's inhumane Rwanda plan lawful – disappointing news, but our resistance does NOT stop here.

The movement for solidarity, care &amp; welcome has always been fought on all fronts. We must continue to come together and win. 1/

&mdash; JCWI (@JCWI_UK) December 19, 2022

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🚨BREAKING: The High Court has ruled govt’s inhumane Rwanda plan lawful – disappointing news, but our resistance does NOT stop here.

The movement for solidarity, care & welcome has always been fought on all fronts. We must continue to come together and win. 1/

— JCWI (@JCWI_UK) December 19, 2022

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We know that people coming together to oppose these flights is powerful.

Together with @FreefromTorture &amp; thousands of people up and down the country, we’ve successfully urged airlines to pull out of government’s inhumane Rwanda scheme. https://t.co/7QerMrhUpz 2/

&mdash; JCWI (@JCWI_UK) December 19, 2022

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We know that people coming together to oppose these flights is powerful.

Together with @FreefromTorture & thousands of people up and down the country, we’ve successfully urged airlines to pull out of government’s inhumane Rwanda scheme. https://t.co/7QerMrhUpz 2/

— JCWI (@JCWI_UK) December 19, 2022

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And we know that people will continue to use their voices &amp; bodies to fight against government’s Rwanda plan.

People will not stand by and watch this government treat refugees like human cargo. @StpDeportations https://t.co/pBwI1N0cLK 3/

&mdash; JCWI (@JCWI_UK) December 19, 2022

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The Refugee Council has said it is “very disappointed” by the high court judgment on the Rwanda policy. In a statement, Enver Solomon, its chief executive, said:

We are very disappointed in the outcome of this case. If the government moves ahead with these harmful plans, it would damage the UK’s reputation as a country that values human rights, and undermine our commitment to provide safety to those fleeing conflict and oppression, as enshrined in the 1951 refugee convention.

Treating people who are in search of safety like human cargo and shipping them off to another country is a cruel policy that will cause great human suffering. The scheme is wrong in principle and unworkable in practice. The possibility of being sent off to Rwanda is causing huge distress to those we work with, including young people who are becoming extremely anxious and in some cases self-harming.

It is a hugely expensive policy that is unlikely to reach the scale claimed by the government. The Home Office’s own evidence shows that deterrence measures such as this simply don’t work – they just force people to take ever more dangerous journeys. It also poses serious safeguarding risks, particularly for children and vulnerable individuals.

Instead of outsourcing our international commitment to provide safe haven to those fleeing for their lives – including people from Ukraine and Afghanistan – we should be focusing on operating an orderly, humane and fair asylum system, and developing safe routes such as humanitarian visas.

Here is our story on the high court judgment, from my colleagues Rajeev Syal and Diane Taylor.

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