Update on PCS Challenge to Rwanda Policy

Members will have seen the news that on Tuesday evening (14 June) a plane bound for Rwanda to take people seeking asylum in the UK was grounded.

This followed a series of events that included a legal challenge launched by PCS along with other organisations and supported by UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees).

PCS believe that the government’s Rwanda policy is both inhumane and illegal. We have raised a legal challenge on behalf of members who would be expected to carry out work in relation to this policy that we believe could be illegal.

The judgement on Friday 10 June at the High Court and subsequent Court of Appeal ruling was in relation to whether the courts would support interim relief i.e. an injunction.

While we lost the interim relief appeal the Judicial Review will be heard in July. This will determine if the policy is illegal.

PCS believe that the Home Office should not be asking staff to undertake work linked to the Rwanda policy when it knows this could be ruled illegal.

We have therefore written to the Permanent Secretary setting out our concerns and calling on him to cease from asking any Home Office staff to undertake work that is either directly or indirectly linked to the Rwanda policy. Further we have called on him to work with us on developing a policy that would allow for safe legal routes to enter the UK to claim asylum.

If you have concerns your work is contributing to the transportation, screening or decision making process to determine if people are to be sent to Rwanda then please contact me Mike Jones, PCS Home Office group secretary,mikej@pcs.org.uk or 07748 003402. All contact will be treated in strictest confidence.

Mike Jones (Group Secretary)