Judges from the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague ruled that Britain was not liable for two years of outstanding costs from the scheme that was shelved in 2024.

In 2022, former UK prime minister Boris Johnson sealed a deal with Kigali to send to Rwanda migrants arriving in Britain via "dangerous or illegal journeys" in small boats or lorries.

Demonstrators take to the streets in protest at the UK government's controversial deal to deport migrants to Rwanda, 2022/06/13

But the scheme hit legal and political obstacles from the start, with the UK Supreme Court eventually ruling it illegal.

When Keir Starmer became British prime minister in July 2024, he declared the plan "dead and buried" on his first full day in office, dismissing it as a "gimmick".

Then interior minister Yvette Cooper called it "the most shocking waste of taxpayers' money I have ever seen".

Britain's Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper delivers a speech during the Global Partnership Conference in London on May 19, 2026.

During the two years before the scheme was scrapped, only four people actually went to Rwanda, all voluntarily, according to the current UK government.

According to the UK government website, about 290 million (335 million) has already been paid to Rwanda, but Kigali argued in its pre-hearing submissions to the PCA that two annual payments of 50 million (58 million) were still outstanding.

Pressure rises for new British PM as migrant Channel crossings hit new record

But the PCA, set up in 1899 to settle contractual disputes between nations, rejected by majority a 50 million (58 million) claim for one year and unanimously rejected the same amount for the second.

The two nations are already at loggerheads after Britain slashed aid to Rwanda, accusing it of supporting M23 rebels in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

(With newswires)

Originally published on RFI