Speech

PM remarks on Supreme Court Judgement: 15 November 2023

The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's remarks on the Supreme Court Judgement

• From: Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
• Published: 15 November 2023

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

• Location: United Kingdom
• Delivered on: 15 November 2023 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

Good afternoon,

Today, the Supreme Court has judged that the Rwanda policy requires a set of changes in order to be lawful.

I do not agree with this decision 바카라 사이트“ but I respect it and I accept it.

The rule of law is fundamental to our democracy.

We have prepared for all outcomes of this case.

And so we have been working on a new international Treaty with Rwanda.

This will provide a guarantee in law that바카라 사이트¦Â 

바카라 사이트¦those who are relocated from the UK to Rwanda will be protected against removal from Rwanda.

And it will make clear that we will bring anyone back if ordered to do so by a court.

We will finalise the Treaty in light of today바카라 사이트™s judgment and ratify it without delay.

But we need to end the merry-go-round. 

I said I was going to fundamentally change our country 바카라 사이트“ and I meant it. 

So I am also announcing today that we will take the extraordinary step of introducing emergency legislation.

This will enable Parliament to confirm that, that with our new Treaty, Rwanda is safe.

It will ensure that people cannot further delay flights by bringing systemic challenges in our domestic courts바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦and stop our policy being repeatedly blocked. 

But of course, we must be honest about the fact that even once Parliament has changed the law here at home바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦we could still face challenges from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

I told the Parliament today that I am prepared to change our laws바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦and revisit those international relationships to remove the obstacles in our way. 

So let me tell everyone now 바카라 사이트“ I will not allow a foreign court to block these flights. 

If the Strasbourg Court chooses to intervene against the express wishes of Parliament바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦I am prepared to do what necessary to get flights off.

I will not take the easy way out. 

Because I fundamentally do not believe that anyone thinks the founding aim of the European Convention on Human Rights바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦was to stop a sovereign Parliament removing illegal migrants바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦to a country deemed to be safe in Parliamentary statute and binding international law.

And I do not believe we are alone in that interpretation. 

Across Europe, other governments are following our lead 바카라 사이트“ Italy, Germany, Austria, are all exploring models like ours.

Indeed, the UNHCR operates its own refugee schemes in Rwanda.

And unlike the UK, they don바카라 사이트™t have a treaty for any of this.

We are a reasonable government바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦and this is a reasonable country바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦but the British people바카라 사이트™s patience can only be stretched so thin, and they expect the boats to be stopped. 

That is why I made this one of my five priorities. 

And whatever our critics might say, we are making progress.

Because the Rwanda scheme is only one part of our strategy. 

Last December, the number entering the UK illegally in small boats had more than quadrupled in just two years.

Since then, this year they바카라 사이트™re down by a third바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦even as the numbers entering the rest of Europe have soared바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦with illegal crossings of the Mediterranean up by 80 per cent.

We바카라 사이트™re ending the farce of taxpayers footing the bill to put illegal migrants in hotels바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦with 50 closures announced already, returning them to local communities. 

Illegal working raids are up by almost 70 per cent.

And have made 5,000 arrests this year.

We바카라 사이트™ve concluded returns and co-operation agreements with France, Bulgaria, Turkey, Italy, Georgia, and Albania.

We바카라 사이트™ve cut the initial asylum backlog by almost two thirds. 

And in total, we바카라 사이트™ve returned over 20,000 illegal migrants this year.

The facts are clear: this government has done more and delivered more바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦than any government in the last five years to tackle illegal migration.

But to fully solve this problem, the Rwanda policy is a necessary deterrent.

That바카라 사이트™s why it바카라 사이트™s important that the Supreme Court has today confirmed바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦that the principle of removing asylum seekers to a third safe country is lawful. 

Because it means that when we have addressed the Supreme Court바카라 사이트™s concerns바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦people will know that if they come here illegally, they will not get to stay 바카라 사이트“ and so they will stop coming altogether.

And that is how we will stop the boats. 

In recent years, many people have lost faith in politicians바카라 사이트™ ability to do the things they said they would do. 

They fear that politicians are more interested in grandstanding than delivering for the British people. 

I바카라 사이트™ve been determined to change that. 

To deliver on the commitments that I make.

I committed at the start of this year to halve inflation. 

Back then, inflation was 10.7%. 

But new figures, released this morning by the Office for National Statistics바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦show that inflation is now 4.6%.

I am not saying the job is done. 

Many people have struggled and continue to struggle. 

We must stay the course until inflation returns to target.

But it shows that when I said we would halve inflation, I meant it.

When I said I would stop the boats, I meant it. 

Today바카라 사이트™s judgement has not weakened my resolve바카라 사이트¦

바카라 사이트¦it has only hardened it. 

And we will deliver that too. 

Thank you.

Published 15 November 2023