This week the full cost of the abortive Rwandan policy has been revealed, showing a spend of £715m from June 2022 to June 2024 with zero impact on illegal imigration. There was £50m in flights - for whom: ministers, officials but not one refugee.
The full report can be read in www.gov.uk›government › publications › medp-with-rwanda-and-the-illegal-migration-act-associated-costs
Turning to under delivery: the ‘botched Tory prison building plan’ (Daily Mirror headline today) will cost the tax payer £4billion more than expected, according to the National Audit Office. The prison expansion project is now expected to cost £9.4 to £10.1 billion and is currently massively behind schedule! The former government’s pledge to create 20,000 extra prison spaces by 2025, is not being achieved. Only 6518 places having been created by September 2024.
Full report: www.nao.org.uk/reports/increasing-the-capacity-of-the-prison-estate-to-meet-demand/
This is in just one week! What further Tory overspends or failed delivery will be uncovered in the weeks and months to come?
ronib
David49 I thought nuclear was being closed down along with oil and gas? In the Uk only that is.
Nuclear is very much on the agenda for the future, they are even considering small modular nuclear power plants, if we are to develop Hydrogen we are going to need a lot of electrical capacity
LizzieDrip I seriously believe there’s so much we don’t know and science is never
shut down in the way that climate activists think. Climate activists have become a political force removed from actual science.
We need to stop thinking that the science on global warming is proven
Ronib I presume from this statement that you think the science on global warming is not true?
Oh - a climate change denier - and a number of reasons why we shouldn't have to do anything. Despite commitments made by BJ and others at that crucial climate conference.
Until the Labour government, we were the lowest spenders in Europe on low carbon emissions, we need to do our bit.
www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/mar/05/uk-spends-least-among-major-european-economies-on-low-carbon-energy-policy-study-shows#:~:text=8%20months%20old-,UK%20spends%20least%20among%20major%20European%20economies%20on,carbon%20energy%20policy%2C%20study%20shows&text=The%20UK%20spends%20less%20on,transport%20and%20low%2Dcarbon%20electricity.
the actual increase in spending is only 500 million on the previous budget
www.gov.uk/government/news/record-breaking-funding-for-clean-energy-in-britain
It’s nice that so many Gransnetters are happy with the performance so far of our current government, but they’re out of sync with much of the country who are very much not happy up till now, hence Keir Starmer’s popularity plummeting.
David49 I thought nuclear was being closed down along with oil and gas? In the Uk only that is.
Carbon capture I’m very sceptical about and also importing much of our needs from other countries, that use coal for power, it helps our carbon targets but does nothing for global emissions.
Renewable energy and Nuclear we should spend more on, it would also help a lot if we travelled less and wasted less, not much hope of progress there.
Wyllow3 1. Climate has always changed. 2. The Uk is apparently responsible for 1 percent of global warming/emissions or whatever. So any impact we might make is highly insignificant. 3. We need to become less dependent on China for our manufacturing. 4. We need to stop thinking that the science on global warming is proven. 5. Science needs to progress etc
How would you tackle climate change instead, Ronib?
Wyllow3 there are mind blowing amounts going to Net Zero and carbon capture with no guarantee that the new energy technologies will be workable and sufficient for our needs. Mind blowing.
My comment was to Ronib, who didn't say what we are "overspending" on.
You are quite right Nannytopsy, faced with the hole left in spending, the government cannot possibly cut those areas.
I don't know to what you are referring.
If you want better NHS, education, transport, social services etc etc etc then money must be spent and we all have to pay more.
I am having trouble with the vast amounts of money being spent by government.
Surely we elect MPs to govern and should judge them by their ability to govern not on how much they do our bidding. I didn't vote for the last Conservative government, disagreed with many of the decisions they made but didn't dispute their right to govern (unlike those who have signed the petition!) I did have a problem though when they were trying to act illegally.
ronib
Casdon as a deterrent it may well have had some impact on numbers coming here but we were never going to find out.
Trump mentioned that he was interested in Rwanda so wait and see.
It’s remarkable that both Labour and Conservatives are so disrespectful of the taxpayer.
Yes, Conservatives were very disrespectful of the tax payer with this scheme. And now, as the O/P points out, tax payers are having to foot the bill left behind.
Reasons Jenrick and others know it would'nt work
"The figures mean that if the UK sends 300 people to Rwanda, it will cost the taxpayer £490m under the partnership; an extra £6m in individual payments; plus £45m for processing and operational costs over five years. The total costs would be £541m, which works out as £1.8m per asylum seeker
a lot more www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/mar/01/rwanda-plan-uk-asylum-seeker-cost-figures
International Law: the plan was that even if in Rwanda, the person was assessed as an asylum seeker, they had no right to return to the UK although they had laid their claim to be granted asylum here.
Numbers: Rwanda could never have taken the numbers, but during the time Rwanda plans were bing drawn up, they dropped the ball as in processing/deporting people meaning a build up. Therefore not a deterrent as soon as Rwanda has taken max numbers.
Casdon as a deterrent it may well have had some impact on numbers coming here but we were never going to find out.
Trump mentioned that he was interested in Rwanda so wait and see.
It’s remarkable that both Labour and Conservatives are so disrespectful of the taxpayer.
Because it was morally wrong and potentially illegal, Ronib
I know this might sound simple but the Labour government will know how much the Rwanda scheme cost to set up. So why in heaven’s name did it not at least trial it first before throwing it out at the first opportunity?
Remind me again as to which government wasted the money?
None of this surprises me, sadly. I hope for better with the new government.
Iam64
How anyone can criticise the current government after four minths yet excuse the previous 14 years of misrule remains a mystery to me
Absolutely! I can’t believe that people have such short memories. The Tories brought this country to its knees. And please, people, don’t complain about taxes being increased. If we want decent public services that’s where the money will have to come from.
How anyone can criticise the current government after four minths yet excuse the previous 14 years of misrule remains a mystery to me
£715 million! What a breath taking waste of money for absolutely no result whatsover. You could give every pensioner who relies solely on the state pension over £700 each, or give every secondary school age pupil £420 or even better, it could have been spent running an effective service for processing asylum seekers. What a complete shambolic waste of tax payer's money!
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