What does the pledge mean? 

The Migration and Economic Development Partnership is an agreement which the UK and Rwanda signed in 2022, establishing what was informally referred to as the “Rwanda policy”—the previous Conservative government’s plan to deter small boat crossings by sending asylum seekers who had arrived via irregular methods to Rwanda.

The agreement was later established as a formal treaty. This was ratified in April 2024, making it legally binding.

No migrants were ever forcibly relocated to Rwanda under the policy, though a small number did relocate voluntarily under a separate scheme. 

In its election manifesto Labour pledged to end the partnership, which could be formally terminated by written notification from either party, with the termination becoming effective three months after this notification was received.

What progress has been made?

We’re currently rating this pledge as ‘appears on track’, because the UK-Rwanda treaty will formally terminate on 16 March 2026, according to the Rwandan government.

(We had previously been rating it as ‘achieved’ on the basis that the UK had told the Rwandan government it intended to terminate the treaty and the Rwandan government had acknowledged that the UK government had changed its policy. But we are now opting for ‘appears on track’ as the UK government appears to consider the formal end of the partnership as the point at which the pledge will be achieved.)

Sir Keir Starmer confirmed that his government would not proceed with plans to send migrants to Rwanda during his first press conference as Prime Minister on 6 July 2024.

The Rwandan government published a press release on 8 July 2024 stating: “Rwanda takes note of the intention of the UK Government to terminate the Migration and Economic Development Partnership Agreement, as provided for under the terms of the Treaty passed by both our Parliaments.”

On 22 July 2024 then-home secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament that she had “informed the Rwandan Government that we will be ending the migration and economic development partnership”. She added that some of the money saved from the scheme would be spent on the new Border Security Command instead.

The terms of the Treaty stipulate it may be terminated by either party “by giving notice to the other party in writing.” It also says that the termination will take effect three months “from the date of notification to the other party”. However there seems to have been some delay in this happening—when we asked the Home Office about formal termination of the treaty in late 2024 and early 2025, we did not receive a response.

On 28 January 2026, the Rwandan government said the formal termination of the treaty would take effect on 16 March 2026, suggesting the UK government provided written notice to Rwanda in December 2025.

Explanatory notes accompanying the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill (which has since passed into law) published in May 2025 said: “As the government does not intend to proceed with the MEDP, the Safety of Rwanda Act will serve no practical purpose. The Government intends to formally bring an end to the Treaty with Rwanda. This will deliver on the Government’s manifesto commitment to end the MEDP.”

As such, it appears the government considers the formal end of the Treaty with Rwanda the point where the pledge is achieved.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act has repealed the Safety of Rwanda Act, which designated Rwanda a safe country for migrant relocations and also attempted to prevent most legal challenges to the policy.

Rwanda has filed an international arbitration case against the UK regarding the Treaty—saying the UK breached the Migration and Economic Development Partnership by making financial terms public, failing to pay £100 million and “refusing to make arrangements to resettle vulnerable refugees from Rwanda”.