SM and Asylum Aid v Secretary of State for the Home Department

On 3 June 2024, Mr Justice Chamberlain ordered an expedited hearing of a claim in judicial review by an individual, ‘SM’, testing the lawfulness of the Home Secretary’s “Safety of Rwanda” Policy (version 2.0), and seeking to establish the correct interpretation of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024.

An unofficial transcript of the judge’s ruling may be found here.

At a further directions hearing on Monday 10th June, the judge granted permission for two individuals’ claims to join SM’s: SY and YXY. The judge also granted permission for the UNHCR to intervene in the case. A four-day rolled-up hearing of SM’s claim is scheduled for between 9th and 12th July 2024.

Charlotte Kilroy KC, Flora Robertson and Rachel Jones are acting for SM, SY and Asylum Aid. Ben Jaffey KC, Jason Pobjoy, Will Bordell, Emmeline Plews and Rayan Fakhoury are acting for YXY. Mark Vinall is acting for the Home Secretary. George Molyneaux is acting for the UNHCR.