Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of public opinion towards the Rwanda Asylum Agreement.

Last year the Government launched an extensive and wide-reaching public consultation with stakeholders, relevant sectors and members of the public, including those with lived experiences, to inform the New Plan for Immigration. The findings from the consultation were carefully considered and the Government response was published on 22 July 2021.

A YouGov poll carried out last year found the majority of people (64%) thought the Government’s ‘New Plan for Immigration’ policies are fair and many agree that how someone enters the country should be taken into account in their asylum application.

Our Nationality and Borders Act has received Royal Assent last month and at the heart of this approach is fairness. The Act allows us to put in provisions to deter illegal entry to the UK, remove those with no right to be in the UK, and make the system more effective so that we can better protect and support those in genuine need of asylum.

YouGov conducted an independent poll on 14 April, the day that the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda was announced. The question posed was as follows:

The Government has proposed a deal where some people who have entered Britain and applied for asylum will be flown to Rwanda, in Africa, for their asylum applications to be processed. Do you support or oppose this proposal?

This snap poll indicated that 35% of the public supported the partnership, 42% opposed it, and a further 23% were unsure.

Source: YouGov poll of 2943 GB adults on 14 April 2022.