The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague announced on Monday that it has completely rejected Rwanda’s claim that it is entitled to more than 100 million British pounds ($134 million) in compensation from the British government over a scrapped migrant deportation deal. The tribunal dismissed all financial claims brought by Kigali, rejecting its argument that Britain should honor the terms of the controversial asylum plan, which was cancelled by London in 2024.
The collapse of this agreement between the two nations and the conclusion of the compensation case bode ill for other European governments that, driven by a surge in support for right-wing parties, are seeking to take a tough stance on migration and trying to establish “return hubs” in third-party countries.
In a 76-page ruling dated May 15 and formally made public on Monday, the three-judge panel stated that diplomatic exchanges between the two governments after the agreement was cancelled by the United Kingdom indicate an agreement was reached not to make further payments. This includes two financial tranches of 50 million pounds ($67 million) each that Rwanda argued it was owed in April 2025 and April 2026.
Additionally, the court rejected two further claims brought by Rwanda regarding alleged breaches of the partnership agreement. A UK government spokesman stated, “The UK robustly defended its position, and the tribunal has now ruled in favour of the UK on all grounds,” adding that London is currently “focused on delivering vital reforms to restore order and control to our borders.”
This migrant deal was originally signed in 2022 by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Its objective was to deter migration by sending asylum seekers who entered Britain illegally via small boats or lorries to Rwanda while their asylum applications were being processed.
However, before the plan could be fully implemented, it was struck down as unlawful by the UK Supreme Court. The current Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, cancelled the plan on his first full day in office in July 2024, describing the matter as “dead and buried” and dismissing it as a “gimmick.” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, for her part, criticized it as “the most shocking waste of taxpayers’ money I have ever seen.”
Before the plan was scrapped, only four people had gone to Rwanda voluntarily under the scheme, yet Britain had already paid approximately 290 million pounds ($390 million) to Kigali before the arrangement was terminated.
Although Rwanda argued that Britain was obligated to honor a legally binding treaty regardless of domestic court rulings, the tribunal found that Rwanda had agreed in diplomatic notes in November 2024 to forgo any additional payments.
Meanwhile, the European Union is still attempting to establish migrant centers with third-party countries. The bloc aimed on Monday to finalize discussions regarding its Returns Regulation. However, following the failure of the UK’s Rwanda plan and Italy’s scrapped deal with Albania, Brussels has remained tight-lipped about which countries might host these migrants.
