UK to sign deal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing

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Some asylum seekers will be flown to Rwanda to have their applications processed, under UK government plans.

Boris Johnson is set to unveil the plans later, before Home Secretary Priti Patel signs a migration deal with the African nation.

BBC home editor Mark Easton said the deal would mean single men arriving in Britain via Channel crossings could be forcibly removed.

The Refugee Council criticised the policy as "cruel" and urged a rethink.

Labour said the plan was "unworkable, unethical and extortionate" - and one designed to "distract" from Mr Johnson's fine for breaking Covid-19 laws.

The Liberal Democrats said the proposal would be "expensive for taxpayers, while doing nothing to stop dangerous Channel crossings or combat the smuggling and trafficking gangs".

The deal is expected to see the Rwandan government given an initial £120m as part of a trial, but opponents say the annual cost of the full scheme would be far higher.

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