Suella Braverman’s Rwanda plan has turned from ‘dream’ to undiluted farce

The government has had to pretend that Rwanda is a lovely place to build a life, but also simultaneously that nobody would ever be so stupid as to come to Britain in a dinghy to get there, writes Tom Peck

Suella Braverman invoked, at least 20 times, the ‘British people’ (PA)

Shall we start with a bit of background? Last year, Boris Johnson was fined for breaking the law while prime minister, so the next day he went to Dover to launch a new scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. He gave Rwanda a hundred and twenty million quid, without bothering to check whether or not the policy was illegal.

Eighteen months, three prime ministers, four home secretaries (two of which were Suella Braverman), and two court judgments later, the policy is still illegal.

Suella Braverman’s been there to have her picture taken. No asylum seekers have been sent there. There is no prospect that any ever will. And even if they were, it would make no difference whatsoever to the problem it is nominally designed to solve, namely “stopping the boats”.