Drew Hendry: Rwanda Act does not represent our values

Last week the ‘Safety of Rwanda Act’ was passed in the Westminster parliament. This bill might pass some people by because it may not “feel” like it affects them. I can understand that, as the biggest subject, you won’t be surprised to hear, being discussed on the doorsteps with me continues to be the cost of living. Mortgages, rent, food bills and energy costs have, as you will be feeling, gone through the roof over the past years and most of that caused or made worse by Truss, Brexit and other Westminster choices. Take the squeeze folk are feeling in car insurance - rocketing in price by over 36 per cent here and only between two and six per cent in France, Italy and Spain.

This shameful “Rwanda” act is not only a disgraceful piece of legislation, breaking international law, but you, the public, are paying through the nose for it.

Nearly £300 milion has already been spent. For each Asylum seeker being sent there it will cost £11,000 per ticket and the Rwandan government will be paid £20,000 for each person. Totting up all the other elements, if the planned 300 are sent, the total cost per asylum seeker would be £1.8 million.

It won’t work either.

Are they really naïve enough to believe that those who have faced war and terror, who are left with no choice but to journey across the Channel in a rubber dinghy, not knowing if they’ll make it across alive, will be deterred by the threat of deportation to Rwanda?

These, however, are the priorities of this Tory government. Folk here are still struggling with rising costs, with Westminster offering no tangible help. Instead, they’ve shown us once again what a cold and cruel and callous government they are, content with using their most privileged of positions to ensure those most vulnerable continue to suffer.

At a time when Westminster has cut Scotland’s capital budget by over 16 per cent it is not hard to see that both in humanitarian terms and for public services we would make very different choices.

This is not who we are, these are not our values. I have seen, time and time again, the compassion for others from my constituents who get in touch with me to share their horror at what we are witnessing unfolding across the world just now. Rest assured, I will continue to stand up for their views.

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