Filenews 18 June 2022
Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel (file photo, above, from Reuters) again railed against the "scandalous" ruling of the Council of Europe's European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) that grounded an aircraft carrying refugees and migrants to Rwanda in an interview published in The Telegraph today.
"Scandalous"
"The opaque way this court has acted is scandalous," Ms Patel said, just 24 hours after the leased aircraft flight to the African country was cancelled on Tuesday, following an ECtHR ruling.
The Tory government's home secretary under Prime Minister Boris Johnson questioned "the motives" and insisted on the court's "lack of transparency".
With its controversial plan to send asylum seekers arriving irregularly in Britain to Rwanda, east Africa, more than 6,000 kilometres from London, Mr Johnson's government is claiming to put the brakes on illegal Channel crossings, which have not ceased to increase despite repeated assurances that it would bring immigration under control after Brexit.
The British government's plan, which was heavily criticised by the UN, is popular with the Tory electorate, according to opinion polls, and Mr Johnson wanted it implemented as he tries to regain power after the recent intra-party mutiny that almost overthrew him.
It exceeded its jurisdiction
The ECtHR's hasty intervention has led some in Mr Johnson's Conservative party to propose the UK's withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights so that the new immigration policy can be put in place, despite criticism from various quarters, including the Anglican Church and even Prince Charles.
British Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab, said on Thursday that there is no question of withdrawing from the Convention, but at the same time ruled that the Strasbourg court, responsible for upholding it, exceeded its jurisdiction.
Source: ANA
