Labour under fresh fire for ditching Rwanda scheme as European Union nations line up to deport migrants to the African nation as early as next year, with deportations to Uzbekistan and Uganda also on the cards

Published: 17:34, 24 June 2026 | Updated: 17:35, 24 June 2026 Labour came under fresh fire for ditching the Rwanda scheme today as it emerged European countries could start deporting migrants there from as early as next year. European Union diplomats said several countries were hoping to start expelling failed asylum seekers to the African nation, with deportations to Uzbekistan and Uganda also on the cards. It comes after the bloc last week passed a new law giving European capitals greater powers for creating so-called ‘return hubs’ in non-EU countries to tackle illegal crossings. Denmark, Austria, Greece, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands are among those hoping to get deportations off the ground from 2027. Over half of the bloc’s 27 member nations have backed the idea of offshore processing centres and have called on Brussels Eurocrats to help speed up their creation. By contrast, one of Sir Keir Starmer’s first acts after entering Downing Street in 2024 was to scrap the previous Tory government’s Rwanda deportation scheme, aimed at acting as a deterrent to small boat migrants crossing the Channel. Tory MP Greg Smith blasted: ‘As the boats continue to come, Labour are failing to take the necessary steps to combat this illegal flow of migrants to the UK. Labour has failed to stop small boat Channel crossings, with a surge of nearly 2,000 arrivals last week  More than 700 small boat migrants crossed the Channel alone last Monday, who were among more than 2,000 who arrived during the week  Under the new EU rules - which were passed in the European Parliament to chants of ‘send them home’ from Right-wing Euro MPs - the 'return hubs' would house people who have already exhausted all their legal avenues to stay in the bloc and are awaiting deportation  ‘The most obvious failing was Labour scrapping the Rwanda partnership - a scheme now being taken up by so many other countries the government professes to admire.’ Fellow Tory MP Jack Rankin added: ‘Labour revelled in scrapping the Rwanda Plan before it even started, days into office. In its place, they gave us more small boat crossings than under any other Prime Minister. ‘How foolish they now look with the European Parliament that Starmer loves so much voting to speed up deportations, with EU countries now stealing our Rwanda idea. ‘Labour are quickly finding themselves to be on the wrong side of history as Western nations are waking up to the dangers of mass illegal migration.’ Conservative peer Lord Kempsell said: ‘This development shows that offshore processing is still a major plank of any attempt at taking back control of our borders. ‘It sets a powerful disincentive for illegal entry into the UK. ‘Those who have deemed this unworkable or undesirable in the past are clearly not following developments in the European Union where offshore processing is now part of mainstream immigration policy.’ While the number of Channel migrants so far this year is lower than last year, there was a surge of nearly 2,000 arrivals last week, with 710 landing on British shores last Monday alone. The running tally for this year is only a few hundred behind the same point in 2022 which went on to be the record year. EU diplomats stressed that countries hosting centres have not yet been decided but that Rwanda, Uzbekistan and Uganda were part of talks, partly because the bloc has funneled hundreds of millions of pounds towards these countries for other programmes. Under the new EU rules - which were passed in the European Parliament to chants of ‘send them home’ from Right-wing Euro MPs - the return hubs would house people who have already exhausted all their legal avenues to stay in the bloc and are awaiting deportation. This differs from the UK plan, which would have applied to newly arrived migrants. But critics point out Labour ruled out offshore processing after winning the 2024 election and that this acts as a deterrent if migrants know they can be deported. It is designed to give EU capitals a clear legal framework for offshore facilities. 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