New UK PM Starmer confirms end of Rwanda asylum deportation scheme

New UK PM Starmer confirms end of Rwanda asylum deportation scheme

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Starmer vowed to bring change to Britain

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LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday confirmed his newly formed government would not pursue his predecessor's policy to deport asylum seekers who arrive in small boats to Rwanda, ending the scheme before any flights took off.

"The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started. It's never been a deterrent (to small boat crossings)," Starmer said at a press conference.

"I'm not prepared to continue with gimmicks that don't act as a deterrent."

Also Read: Newly elected UK PM Keir Starmer says Britain must rediscover its identity

Starmer vowed to bring change to Britain as its next prime minister after his Labour Party surged to a comprehensive win in a parliamentary election, ending 14 years of often tumultuous Conservative government.