UK PM seeks new treat8k8 com log iny with Rwanda

The United Kingdom's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he will introduce emergency legislation, so he can press ahead with plans to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda.

In response to the policy being ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Sunak said his government is now working on a new treaty with Rwanda.

The Supreme Court justices ruled that there were "substantial grounds" to suspect that individuals deported to Rwanda could subsequently be transferred by the Rwandan government to locations posing safety risks.

In a statement on Wednesday in response to the Supreme Court ruling, Sunak said he was determined to "end the merry-go-round" of legal challenges against the policy.

The prime minister acknowledged the plan could face challenges from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

"I will not allow a foreign court to block these flights," Sunak said. "If the Strasbourg court chooses to intervene against the expressed wishes of Parliament, I am prepared to do what is necessary to get flights off."

UK Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick later confirmed that the government is in the "final stages "of negotiating a new treaty with Rwanda in a bid to revive its plan.

Jenrick said it was "absolutely critical that flights go off to Rwanda in the spring".

Speaking on the BBC's Newsnight program on Wednesday, Jenrick said the emergency legislation would "determine Rwanda as a safe country and ensure that the endless cycle of legal disputes and challenges finally comes to an end".

The UK government claims the plan to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda would discourage migrants from crossing the English Channel seaway from France in small boats.

In a round of media interviews on Thursday, Home Secretary James Cleverly defended the expenditure of the deal with Rwanda, citing its deterrent effect. It has been reported the government has already given Rwanda 140 million pounds ($174 million) as part of the deal, though not one asylum-seeker has yet been sent to the country.

Legal experts told Reuters the emergency law could address domestic issues, but those subject to deportation would still have the opportunity to pursue recourse in the European Court of Human Rights.

Cleverly said the government would not seek to alter its membership of the European Convention on Human Rights in order to achieve its aims.

"I don't believe that will be necessary. I believe that we can act in accordance with international law and we are very determined to do that," Cleverly told the BBC.

One member of Parliament cited by Reuters said because the new treaty would face legal challenges, it was unlikely deportation flights would leave before the next election. "I think the policy is dead and buried," the politician said.