James Cleverly vows to resurrect Rwanda scheme

James Cleverly launched his Tory leadership bid at an event in London

James Cleverly has pledged to bring back the Rwanda scheme if he is elected next Conservative leader and prime minister.

The shadow home secretary said he would rebuild the UK’s relationship with Rwanda, as he launched his Tory leadership bid.

The previous government had planned to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, with the aim of deterring people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Labour scrapped the scheme after taking office in July, and said the “gimmick” had cost taxpayers £700m.

Last month, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said some of the money saved would be invested in a new Border Security Command, designed to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.

In a speech at the Old War Office in London, Mr Cleverly said his party “must restore our credibility” on migration control to win back voters who switched to Reform and other parties at the general election.

“When we deal with illegal migration, I stand by what I have always said: we need to have a deterrent,” the former cabinet minister said.

He said he would use his contacts and reputation with Rwanda to “resurrect that incredibly important partnership”.

“And more than that, I will rebuild a relationship so badly damaged by Labour’s arrogant disregard to the diplomatic niceties that bind the world,” Mr Cleverly said.

Mr Cleverly’s campaign team told the BBC the scheme might be not exactly the same as it was under the previous government because of the way Labour had cancelled and handled the partnership with Rwanda.

His leadership pitch also included pledges to spend 3% of GDP on defence, abolish stamp duty on the sale of homes, and bring down the welfare budget.

He called for his party to "think and act like Conservatives again", with a smaller role for the state and a focus on doing "fewer things very well, not everything badly".

Mr Cleverly follows fellow Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick in saying he would attempt to bring back the Rwanda scheme.

They are six Conservatives who have entered the contest to replace Rishi Sunak as Conservative Party leader.

The other leadership hopefuls are MPs Kemi Badenoch, Dame Priti Patel, Mel Stride and Tom Tugendhat.

Launching her leadership bid on Monday, shadow communities secretary Mrs Badenoch said the Conservative government's mistake was that it "talked right but governed left".

She said the government “should do fewer things” and outlined a list of her principles including personal responsibility, citizenship, equality under the law, the family, and truth.

On Tuesday, shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat will also launch his campaign, with other leadership rivals Dame Priti Patel, Robert Jenrick and Mel Stride making speeches and pitches in the media in recent days.

They are currently aiming to secure the backing of fellow Tory MPs, who will whittle the field down to four candidates in a series of votes by the time of the party's annual conference at the end of September.

The MPs will then narrow the field to a final two contenders, with party members choosing the winner, who will be announced on 2 November.

A Labour Party spokesperson said the Tory leadership candidates should "admit they left the country in a dreadful state and apologise for it".

"In the meantime, Labour are getting on with the urgent work of fixing the foundations of our economy and setting the country on the path to growth," the spokesperson said.