The United Kingdom has won a major legal dispute against Rwanda after an international arbitration tribunal ruled that London is not required to pay Rwanda more than £100 million ($135 million) linked to the now-abandoned migrant deportation agreement between the two countries.
The ruling was delivered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, which rejected Rwanda’s claims that Britain still owed it tens of millions of pounds following the cancellation of the controversial asylum partnership.
Rwanda had argued that Britain violated financial obligations under the agreement after Prime Minister Keir Starmer‘s government scrapped the scheme in 2024 shortly after taking office. Kigali demanded two separate annual payments worth £50 million each, alongside other compensation claims.
However, the tribunal rejected all major claims presented by Rwanda and ruled that Britain was not legally obligated to make the additional payments. Judges found that diplomatic exchanges between both governments effectively showed Rwanda had agreed to forgo the disputed payments for 2025 and 2026.
The dispute centered on the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership, one of the most controversial immigration policies introduced by the previous Conservative government. Under the arrangement, migrants arriving illegally in Britain through routes such as small boat crossings across the English Channel would have been transferred to Rwanda, where asylum claims would be processed.
The policy faced years of legal challenges and criticism from human rights organizations, opposition politicians, and refugee groups.
In November 2023, Britain’s Supreme Court ruled that Rwanda could not be considered a safe destination for asylum seekers, dealing a major blow to the policy.
When Labour leader Keir Starmer became Prime Minister in July 2024, one of his first decisions was to cancel the plan entirely, describing it as “dead and buried.” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper later called it “the most shocking waste of taxpayers’ money” she had ever seen.
Despite hundreds of millions of pounds reportedly being transferred to Rwanda under the arrangement, only four migrants voluntarily relocated before the scheme was abandoned.
Court documents showed Rwanda claimed it had already invested heavily in infrastructure, facilities, and preparations required to receive deported migrants and therefore deserved the remaining payments after Britain withdrew from the agreement.
The tribunal rejected those arguments and ruled in Britain’s favor across the main financial claims.
The decision comes at a time when relations between London and Kigali have already become strained over accusations that Rwanda supports the M23 rebel group operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, allegations Rwanda continues to deny.
While Rwanda accepted the ruling, officials said the case reflected the complexity of the agreement and the financial commitments involved. Britain, meanwhile, described the judgment as a victory for taxpayers and said its focus had shifted toward broader border control reforms and efforts to combat illegal migration.
