UK's £715 Million Rwanda Plan Fails to Deliver

The UK government's controversial Rwanda deportation plan resulted in £715 million in expenditures, yet only four asylum seekers were voluntarily relocated, according to Home Office figures. This scheme, initiated under Boris Johnson and continued by his successors Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, was intended as a deterrent to illegal Channel crossings but ultimately failed to deport any migrants forcibly. Significant costs included £290 million paid to Rwanda, £95 million on detention centers, and £280 million on IT and legal services, plus £50 million wasted on flights that never took off due to legal challenges and operational hurdles. The plan was scrapped by the Labour government under Keir Starmer, who redirected resources towards combating people-smuggling gangs. Despite the massive financial commitment, the plan did not prevent the increase in small boat crossings, with over 84,000 migrants arriving during the scheme's operation.