In a startling revelation, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that the previous UK government had spent a staggering £700 million on a now-abandoned plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. The scheme, which aimed to fly thousands of migrants from Britain to the East African nation, faced severe backlash and was discarded by Prime Minister Keir Starmer's new Labour government after their recent election victory.

The immense costs incurred by the failed plan include expenses for chartering flights that never took off, remunerating government officials, and a payment of £290 million to the Rwandan government. Cooper expressed her dismay at the "most shocking waste of taxpayers' money" she had ever witnessed during her address to parliament.

Initially proposed in 2022 by the previous Conservative government, the plan was intended to deter asylum seekers from arriving on small boats. Legal challenges, however, prevented the deportation of individuals to Rwanda, with only four voluntary participants being sent under a separate scheme.

Cooper assured that the status of tens of thousands of asylum seekers, who were left in limbo and faced the threat of deportation to Rwanda, would now have their asylum claims processed. She further emphasized the government's commitment to reversing a provision in the Illegal Migration Act that prohibited granting asylum to those who arrived illegally since March last year.

The new government vowed to streamline the system by putting an end to costly hotel accommodations for asylum seekers and clearing the backlog of claims. Cooper estimated that these policy changes would save taxpayers an estimated £7 billion over the next decade.

"We have inherited an 'asylum Hotel California': people arrive in the asylum system and they never leave," Cooper remarked, highlighting the need for fundamental reforms in the immigration and asylum process.

This revelation has sparked widespread concern and debate, raising questions about the effectiveness and fiscal responsibility of government policies related to immigration. As the UK strives to find a balanced approach in dealing with asylum seekers, the focus now shifts towards implementing fair and efficient processes that uphold humanitarian values while safeguarding taxpayers' interests.