Britain will not have to pay Rwanda millions of pounds over the failed migrant deportation deal after winning a case at The Hague.
The deal, first proposed by the former Conservative Government, was scrapped by Labour.
It aimed to deter unauthorised crossings of the English Channel by sending asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing and resettlement.
Labour campaigned on a manifesto pledge to scrap the scheme, with the Prime Minister using his first press conference in July 2024 to proclaim: "The Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started."
The east African nation sued Britain for more than £100million, claiming it breached the terms of its agreement and is owed money.
During the case lawyers representing Britain argued it was "entirely logical" the plan would be scrapped when Labour came into power after the 2024 general election and "simple common sense" that no further payments would be due.
According to legal papers, Rwanda asked the court to find the UK in breach of the agreement and demanded it pay all outstanding sums, as well as compensation.
But lawyers for the UK denied it had breached parts of the deal and said "Rwanda is not entitled to any of the forms of relief it seeks" when asking the court to dismiss the claims.
Flights to Rwanda were scrapped when Sir Keir Starmer was elected | PABefore the election, the Conservative Government had already spent £700million on its flagship immigration policy under which migrants who arrived in the UK by boat from France would be sent to Kigali in a bid to deter Channel crossings.
But just four volunteers ultimately arrived in Rwanda before the plan was scrapped.
Rwanda’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General Emmanuel Ugirashebuja previously told the court the country incurred "significant costs" preparing for the partnership but the UK "then sought to walk away from its legal obligations".
He also said the UK "did not do Rwanda a courtesy of informing it in advance" that it was scrapping the deal, and leaders were "left to read about this development in the media".
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Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Rwanda's minister of justice and attorney general, speaking at the court
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In a document setting out Rwanda’s claim, Mr Ugirashebuja asked the court to rule that the UK had breached the agreement and should pay about £100million that it was due to receive in two instalments in 2024 and 2025, plus £6million in compensation and interest.
Instead of compensation, he said Rwanda would accept a formal apology from the UK for failing to honour parts of the deal.
Reacting to today's ruling, a Government spokesman said: "The UK robustly defended its position, and the Tribunal has now ruled in favour of the UK on all grounds.
"The previous government’s policy wasted time and £700m of taxpayer money to send four volunteers to Rwanda.
"We are now focussed on delivering vital reforms to restore order and control to our borders, including removing the incentives drawing illegal migrants to Britain and scaling up removals of those with no right to be here."