Rwanda Scheme Under Scrutiny as Escalating Costs Revealed

Home Office minister defends scheme in Lords as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak comes under pressure over proposed scheme to curb illegal immigration.

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hosts a press conference inside the Downing Street Briefing Room after Britain and Rwanda sign a new treaty to transfer illegal immigrants to the African country, in central London, on Dec. 7, 2023. James Manning/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under further pressure to save his controversial Rwanda plan after a senior civil servant revealed the government spent an additional £100 million in the last year, bringing the cost of the so-far unused scheme to £240 million.

Earlier this week, Mr. Sunak gave a surprise press conference directly addressing the British public on his determination to “finish the job” with the scheme to deport illegal immigrants wishing to claim asylum to Rwanda, before the additional costs were revealed in a letter to the Public Accounts Committee.