High Court rules designation of UK as 'safe third country' unlawful

It follows actions that allege the designation of the UK as a safe third country is unlawful due to risks arising from potential onward transfer to Rwanda

The UK’s Supreme Court found last November that Rishi Sunak’s plan to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful, as it leaves deportees open to human rights breaches. File picture

Ireland’s designation of the UK as a “safe third country” to which asylum seekers can be returned for processing is unlawful as a matter of EU law, the High Court has ruled.

In a significant decision on Friday, Ms Justice Siobhán Phelan held that Minister for Justice Helen McEntee exceeded her powers by designating the UK a safe third country in December 2020, in response to the UK’s exit from the EU.