Boris Johnson Urges UK to Revive Rwanda Deportation Plan Amid Debate Over New ID Card System

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged the British government to reinstate the controversial Rwanda deportation program for undocumented migrants, saying that new plans to introduce electronic ID cards will be costly and ineffective in curbing illegal immigration.

In an interview with GB News, Johnson criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s proposal to issue digital identity cards - including to children as young as 13 - as part of efforts to tighten immigration controls. The government argues that the cards, which would store extensive personal data, will allow authorities, employers, and landlords to easily verify the legal status of individuals living in the UK.

Starmer’s Labour government says the initiative forms part of a broader strategy to reduce irregular migration, combining enhanced border technology and stricter enforcement measures.

But Johnson, who led the government from 2019 to 2022, dismissed the plan as “an expensive distraction.” He argued that reinstating the Rwanda deportation scheme - suspended by Starmer shortly after taking office in July 2024 - would be a far more effective deterrent.

“If we had the Rwanda programme, we wouldn’t have let them score a goal. It would have been a back-and-forth move,” Johnson said, likening the flow of migrants across the English Channel to a football match.

Johnson’s Conservative government first signed the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership in April 2022, under which asylum seekers who entered Britain illegally could be relocated to Rwanda for processing and potential resettlement. In return, Rwanda would receive financial support to facilitate their accommodation and reintegration.

The plan, however, faced immediate legal challenges. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) halted the first scheduled deportation flight in June 2022, following complaints from human rights groups. Despite revisions and renewed bilateral commitments in late 2023 - including approval by both Houses of Parliament - the programme remained stalled.

When Starmer took office in mid-2024, his government formally suspended the Rwanda scheme, arguing that it failed to deter illegal crossings and raised serious human rights concerns.

Home Office figures show that 29,437 undocumented migrants entered the UK in 2023, a number that climbed to 43,640 in 2024. Between January and September 2025, the total reached 33,556, underscoring the continued challenge of managing irregular migration across the Channel.

Johnson’s comments have reignited debate over the future of Britain’s asylum and immigration policies - with some Conservative MPs backing a return to the Rwanda plan, while Labour insists its digital ID strategy represents a “fairer, more practical” long-term solution.