Rwandan ambassador says Braverman's immigration plans are 'absolutely wrong'

The Rwandan ambassador has lashed out at Suella Braverman's immigration plans, describing the British government's position as "absolutely wrong".

- ARCHIE MITCHELL

Johnston Busingye, the high commissioner of Rwanda, is supportive of British proposals to send asylum seekers to his country but called for the UK to address the wider causes of immigration.

He was secretly recorded claiming it was “immoral” for Britain to pose as a compassionate country when it comes to migration. His comments were revealed days after Ms Braverman faced a furious backlash for a speech in the US on immigration in which she claimed that fearing persecution over being gay or a woman is not enough to claim asylum.

In a sting operation organised by the Led By Donkeys campaign group, Mr Busingye was told he was meeting a businessman from a southeast Asian company wanting to invest in his country. In the footage, seen by The Observer, he dismisses evidence that 12 refugees were shot dead by police in Rwanda in 2018, saying: “It might have happened, but so what?”