Cleverly Pledges to Upgrade Rwanda Deal to Treaty Status to Appease Supreme Court

The home secretary, James Cleverly, has pledged to soldier on with the Rwanda policy and says changes will be made to get it passed the UK Supreme Court.

James Cleverly, secretary of state for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs arrives for a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, England, on Oct. 17, 2023. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The home secretary, James Cleverly, has refused to dump the government’s controversial Rwanda policy following a UK Supreme Court ruling that it was unlawful and has said he plans to upgrade it to a treaty, “as soon as possible.”

On Wednesday five UK Supreme Court judges unanimously agreed with the Court of Appeal ruling that the policy was unlawful in its present state.