On Thursday, Patel held a press conference in Kigali justifying the proposal. The British asylum system, Patel said, is collapsing due to “evil people smugglers, profiteering by exploiting the system for their own gains.” Flagging recent deaths and dangerous human trafficking in the English Channel, she hailed her plan as “the biggest overhaul of our immigration system in decades,” and pitched it as a life- and tax-saving “new and innovative” solution.

She explained that, from now on, asylum seekers arriving in the UK will be relocated to Rwanda. If found to be refugees, they will be funded by the UK for up to five years to resettle in the desperately poor African nation. Privately owned Rwandan hotels — including the ill-named Hope House — will be leased to accommodate the deportees. The UK will provide an initial £120 million to Rwanda to finance education and skills training for those resettled. Most details of the scheme, however, remain secret. Patel explained this secrecy as a weapon against people-smuggler adaptation — but in reality the plan is riddled with shortsighted holes.