Suella Braverman’s Rwanda migrant plan failed to receive any show of support during the latest episode of Question Time in a further blow to the Government.
Broadcast live from Exeter, host Fiona Bruce asks if the audience supports sending people to Rwanda following the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Thursday.
In response, not a single member of the audience raisesd their hand before panellist, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, can be heard saying “good on you”, sparking applause from the audience.
Responding, Helen Whately, social care minister and MP for Faversham and Mid Kent said: “This is a very hard problem to solve.
“I think most of us feel that we want to be welcoming people, and understand that people have made hard and difficult journeys to try and come to the UK before they choose to get into a small boat.
“Yes, they’re in France, they’ve crossed several safe countries, but we know that they are from places where life is very hard.”
This comes after the government’s Rwanda plan was blocked after senior judges ruled the African country is “not safe”.
In December, High Court judges rejected legal challenges to the policy from individual asylum seekers and the charity Asylum Aid.
But in a major ruling on Thursday, the Court of Appeal ruled by a majority of two to one that the policy would put asylum seekers at risk and is unlawful.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he “fundamentally” disagreed with it and announced the Government would seek an appeal in the Supreme Court.
