Oh, the absolute irony of it all. I nearly spat out my morning coffee when this story crossed my desk. Rwanda – yes, the very same Rwanda that Labour couldn't run away from fast enough – is now chatting with Donald Trump about taking America's unwanted migrants.
Let that sink in for a moment.
The Phone Call That Made Whitehall Squirm
Rwanda's Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe confirmed they're in the "early stages" of negotiations with the Trump administration. Kigali seems perfectly happy to discuss with America what they apparently couldn't possibly do with Britain... according to Sir Keir and friends.
I spoke to a Tory insider yesterday who couldn't contain his glee. "This is beyond embarrassing for Labour," he texted me at 11:43pm. "They're probably hoping nobody notices."
Fat chance of that happening.
Trump's Already Sending People
Here's teh kicker – US media reported last month that at least one illegal migrant has ALREADY been sent to the east African nation. Meanwhile, after £700 million of UK taxpayer money spent on legal battles and infrastructure, our Rwanda scheme delivered precisely... nothing.
Trump isn't messing around. His administration has already started mass deportations to El Salvador, and now Rwanda appears to be next on his list of partner countries.
Remember When Keir Called It a "Gimmick"?
The Prime Minister wasted absolutely no time scrapping the Rwanda scheme upon taking office. He called it a "gimmick" that wasted hundreds of millions. A complete failure, according to him.
And yet...
If it works for Trump, what does that say about Labour's decision-making? Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman didn't mince words, saying a US-Rwanda deal would be "humiliating" for Labour. I'm starting to think she might have been onto something.
What's Rwanda Saying About All This?
Nduhungirehe told Rwandan TV his government was in the "spirit" of giving "another chance to migrants who have problems across the world." Apparently that spirit extends to American partnerships but not British ones? (Or perhaps it does, but someone in Whitehall wasn't listening.)
Back in 2022, I interviewed a Rwandan official who insisted their country was perfectly capable of handling asylum processing. "We're not some backwater," he told me, visibly annoyed at the suggestion. "We have infrastructure, systems, and a genuine desire to help." I remember thinking his frustration seemed legitimate.
The £700 Million Question
Labour ministers are probably avoiding mirrors right now. If Trump manages to implement what the UK government just abandoned as "unworkable," there will be some very uncomfortable questions asked in Parliament.
I ran into an immigration lawyer at a conference last week who put it bluntly: "Politics trumped practicality. The scheme might have had issues, but scrapping it entirely without a viable alternative was pure ideology."
The government needs to explain why what's apparently possible for America was impossible for Britain.
Or maybe they're hoping we'll all just forget about teh whole thing.
Good luck with that.
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