In April 2022 the UK government said it would send some people seeking asylum to Rwanda, despite that country’s record on the treatment of refugees.
In November 2023 the Supreme Court ruled the policy unlawful: deporting people to Rwanda would breach British and international human rights law. The government’s answer was to try to override that judgment and carry on.
MPs from more than one party, charities, human rights groups and members of the public opposed it. People have the right to seek asylum, and refugees become part of communities across London and the rest of the country. What was needed was a safe, accountable route, not a flight to Rwanda.
My own connection to this country starts with my father. He came here in 1991, claimed asylum, and was recognised as a refugee. I joined him, my mother and my brother in 1994 through family reunion. We lived four to a room, and I was bullied at school because I did not speak English. We were still grateful to be somewhere safe, with a school place and the NHS.
The petition asked the government, plainly, to drop the policy.