The UK will not have to pay Rwanda millions of pounds over the failed migrant deportation deal, a court has ruled.
The east African nation sued Britain for more than £100m in a three-day hearing in March at the Court of Arbitration in the Hague, claiming the UK breached the terms of its agreement.
The Netherlands court previously heard how Sir Keir Starmer boldly pledged on his first day in office in July 2024 that the Rwanda scheme was “dead and buried”, but the government failed to quit the deal until December 2025.
Rwanda told the Dutch court this meant it was owed two outstanding payments from 2024 and 2025 promised under the deal, and was also seeking a further £6m in compensation for the UK’s failure to receive vulnerable refugees.
Rwanda argued Britain should have taken in 300 refugees, likening the approach to the one-in, one-out deal with France.
But lawyers representing Britain argued it was “entirely logical” that the plan would be scrapped when Labour came into power after the 2024 general election, and “simple common sense” that no further payments would be due.
They denied the UK had breached parts of the deal and said “Rwanda is not entitled to any of the forms of relief it seeks” when asking the court to dismiss the claims.
Downing Street defended the decision to scrap the previous Tory administration’s plan when it emerged Rwanda was taking the UK to court earlier this year.
Before the election, the Conservative government had already spent £700m on its flagship immigration policy, under which migrants who arrived in the UK by boat from France would be sent to Kigali in a bid to deter Channel crossings.
But just four volunteers ultimately arrived in Rwanda before the plan was scrapped.
Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Rwanda’s minister of justice and attorney general, previously told the court the country incurred “significant costs” preparing for the partnership, but that the UK “then sought to walk away from its legal obligations”.
He also said the UK “did not do Rwanda a courtesy of informing it in advance” that it was scrapping the deal, and that leaders were “left to read about this development in the media”.
Instead of compensation, he said Rwanda would accept a formal apology from the UK for failing to honour parts of the deal.
A government spokesperson said: “The UK robustly defended its position, and the tribunal has now ruled in favour of the UK on all grounds.
“The previous government’s policy wasted time and £700m of taxpayer money to send four volunteers to Rwanda.
“We are now focused on delivering vital reforms to restore order and control to our borders, including removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain and scaling up removals of those with no right to be here.”
