Despite tensions between the two men over the government’s plans to send migrants to the east African nation, a beaming Prince Charles shook hands with Boris Johnson today in Rwanda.
The heir to the throne and the prime minister will have a private meeting this afternoon over a cup of tea while they are both in Kigali for a Commonwealth summit.
The Duchess of Cornwall and Carrie Johnson exchanged cordial greetings this morning at the Kigali Convention Center. Both women are traveling to Rwanda with their husbands.
The PM and the future king shook hands after Mr. Johnson walked back earlier remarks that, should Charles voice criticism of his Rwanda asylum policy during their meeting, he would advise the Prince of Wales to be “open-minded.”
The Queen’s son reportedly described the strategy as “appalling” in remarks made in private, and Boris promised to inform the queen of the plan’s “clear virtues.”
However, the Prime Minister reversed course today and said to Rwandan broadcasters: “I wouldn’t comment on anything that I say to the Queen or the Queen says to me, nor would I discuss what the heir to the throne would say to me or what I may say to him.
Prime ministers never broach the subject. What I will say is that there are many misconceptions about Rwanda that need to be dispelled as visitors arrive, like you have today.
Therefore, the government of Rwanda has made some very impressive advancements during the past few of decades.
The Tories stepped up their criticism of the heir to the throne for his opposition to their Rwanda migrant scheme yesterday, telling the Prince of Wales to “keep his oar out” of politics.
Backbencher Andrea Jenkyns advised the future king to imitate his mother the Queen and maintain a respectful quiet prior to a meeting between Charles and Boris Johnson in Kigali.
Boris Johnson backtracked on remarks that if Charles voiced opposition to his Rwanda asylum policy at their meeting later, he would advise him to be “open-minded.”
Royal advisers looked to be frustrated by the prime minister’s earlier declaration that he would inform the heir to the throne that the contentious plan has “clear virtues.”
On Friday morning, Charles, who has reportedly referred to the policy as “appalling,” will meet Mr. Johnson for tea-and-talks at the Commonwealth conference in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
Ahead of the perhaps heated meeting, Mr. Johnson told media outlets: “I wouldn’t comment on anything that I say to the Queen or the Queen says to me, nor would I say what the heir to the throne would say to me or what I may say to him.”
Mr. Johnson attacked the “condescending” opponents of his stymied plan to forcibly remove migrants who enter Rwanda illegally in a series of earlier interviews.
In addition, he made it plain that if the heir to the throne brought up the issue during their meeting—the first since the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee—he would defend the policy.
People and policy opponents alike must maintain an open mind when discussing the policy. Many people are able to recognize its clear benefits. So yeah, of course I’m going to bring up that point if I see the prince tomorrow,” Mr. Johnson replied.
On the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Mr. Johnson will encounter Charles (Chogm).
Prior to a thorough hearing on the scheme’s constitutionality in UK courts, the first flight carrying passengers to Rwanda that was scheduled to depart last week was grounded by successful legal challenges.
One aspect of a £120 million economic agreement with Kigali, the strategy has drawn heavy criticism, in part due to worries over Rwanda’s human rights record.
Charles reportedly criticized the Prime Minister’s £120 million program in private, calling it “appalling,” and the Prime Minister responded by saying he was prepared to defend it.
According to reports, Clarence House is dissatisfied that the public discussion around Charles’ comments against Britain’s practice of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda is overshadowing his well-received visit to the East African country.
He absolutely needs to learn a lot from our beautiful Queen and keep his oar out, most definitely, Ms. Jenkyns remarked while speaking to LBC radio from a by-election in Wakefield today.
For the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the prince and Mr. Johnson are in Rwanda (CHOGM). Yesterday, Mr. Johnson said he would discuss the “clear virtues” of the immigration policy with Charles over a cup of tea this morning.
I am thrilled that Prince Charles and everyone is here today to observe a country that has experienced a total, or very significant transformation, the speaker remarked.
“People need to keep an open mind about the (Rwanda) policy, and the critics need to keep an open mind about the policy,” said Mr. Johnson to ITV. Many people are able to recognize its clear benefits. So of course I’m going to bring up that topic if I see the prince tomorrow.
This month it was made public that Charles had been overheard calling the Rwanda plan “appalling.” Last week Mr Johnson dismissed criticism of the policy from ‘somewhat surprising quarters’ in an apparent jab at the prince and Church of England bishops, who slammed it as ‘immoral’.
Sustainability, youth, the history and principles of the Commonwealth and Charles’s enthusiasm for it are the three subjects on the PM’s agenda for their meeting with Charles. According to royal sources, it was ‘unlikely’ that the two men would talk about the Rwanda plan.
A spokeswoman for Downing Street later echoed the same statement in what appeared to be a coordinated effort to downplay the likelihood of a confrontation between the prime minister and the prince, but he did not completely rule out Mr. Johnson bringing it up.
In support of the program, Mr. Johnson said: “This is a plan that I think is absolutely necessary and right to tackle the problem of unlawful cross-Channel trafficking of people whose lives are being placed at risk by the gangs.” Mr. Johnson was speaking at a school visit in Kigali.
“You must disrupt the gangs’ business model; it is absolutely the proper thing to do.”
“What people need to understand, what policy critics need to understand—and I have seen loads and loads of criticism—is that Rwanda has undergone an utter change in the previous couple of decades.”
In order to ensure that everything we do is in compliance with human rights, he claimed that the UK and Rwanda had performed “immense amounts of due diligence on the way things work, both in the UK and in Rwanda.”
For Charles, the trip to Rwanda is considered as being of utmost importance. It is the first CHOGM he has attended since being selected to succeed the Queen as head of the Commonwealth, and he and Camilla are the first members of the British royal family to visit the nation.
The prince’s significant day of visits focused on the 1994 Rwandan genocide was overshadowed by remarks made by Mr. Johnson on Wednesday, in which he expressed the hope that his visit to Rwanda would help others “shed some of their condescending attitudes” toward the nation. This caused “clear unhappiness” in the royal camp.
Sir Edward Young, the Queen’s private secretary, who serves as the monarch’s primary point of contact with No. 10, is accompanying Charles. He is there because the Queen is still the Commonwealth’s head of state.
Sir Edward is believed to have participated in negotiations between Charles and the PM to find a solution behind the scenes.
Prior to a full hearing on the scheme’s constitutionality in UK courts, successful objections to the European Court of Human Rights grounded the first flight transporting asylum seekers from Britain to Rwanda that was scheduled to take off last week.
One aspect of a £120 million economic agreement with Kigali, the strategy has drawn heavy criticism, in part due to worries over Rwanda’s human rights record.
An official from the Rwandan government said last night that Britain had paid the money in full and that some of it had already been spent, making it unlikely that any of it would be recouped if the policy failed.
Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, ‘cares deeply’ about the UK’s policies, according to Mr. Johnson, who saw him yesterday. Mr. Kagame was a refugee in neighboring Uganda.
Mr. Kagame has received praise for his part in putting an end to the ethnic Hutu extremist massacre of 800,000 people in 1994. However, his government has since been charged with political repression, murders, and imprisoning dissidents.
We’ve had some difficult by-election outcomes, and I think they’ve been a reflection of a variety of things, but we’ve got to recognize people are going through a difficult period right now, Mr. Johnson said in a statement to broadcasters in Kigali after thanking Mr. Dowden for his work.
As a government, I believe I have a responsibility to hear what people have to say, especially when they express their frustration with the high expense of living, which is, in my opinion, the main concern for the majority of people.
We are currently experiencing pressures on the cost of living; people are being hurt by increases in gasoline prices, energy expenses, and food prices.
We must acknowledge that there is still work to be done, and until we get past this hard patch, we will continue to address the concerns of the public.
By emphasizing how the Tories defeated Labour in Hartlepool in May 2021, Mr. Johnson attempted to defend his record.
He stated, “Without in any way intending to minimize the lesson from by-elections – it was only a little over a year ago we won a Labour seat,” in an interview with Channel 4 News.
According to the results, the nation would likely have a hung parliament at the next general election, according to renowned analyst Professor Michael Thrasher.
Prof. Curtice, however, claimed that a swing comparable to the Wakefield outcome would possibly be sufficient for a slim Labour majority.
The by-elections, according to Mr. Dowden’s resignation letter to the prime minister, “are the latest in a run of very dismal outcomes for our party.”
“I share their feelings of distress and disappointment at the recent occurrences,” he wrote.
“We are unable to conduct business as usual. Someone has to bear the blame, and I have come to the conclusion that it would not be appropriate for me to continue serving in this capacity.
I want to emphasize that this is a highly personal decision that I have made alone, the MP wrote in the letter’s last paragraph.
As always, I will support the Conservative Party.
Mr. Johnson wrote in response that he “fully” understood Mr. Dowden’s dissatisfaction.
He said, “Thank you for your letter and I am sorry to see you depart the government.”
“While I totally appreciate your displeasure with the by-election results, this Government was elected just over two years ago with a historic mandate to unify and level up. I’m eager to carry on our collaborative effort on it.
After Mr. Dowden’s resignation, Mr. Johnson spoke on the phone with Chief Whip Chris Heaton-Harris and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, according to a Tory party source.
The source claimed that Mr. Johnson received the warning call from Mr. Dowden before to his 7am appointment while swimming in his hotel pool at 6am Kigali time.
According to reports, Mr. Johnson was taken aback by the departure and feels there is “no rush” to name a replacement as co-chairman of the party.
The source was blaming the media’s “endless reporting and Kremlinology of partygate” for the electoral defeats, calling it “nonsense.”
The source responded, “What do I know, but I’d be startled if it was the Chancellor,” when asked if he worried that Mr. Dowden was serving as an outrider for a potential leadership challenge from someone like the Chancellor.
As he does practically every morning, “The PM spoke to the Chancellor this morning.”
‘He’s not going to be leaving, this is too vital,’ the Tory source continued. ‘He’s going into the G7 on the basis that the main challenge is to bring the UK and families through incredibly difficult economic circumstances.
Any prime minister would be abdicating their duties if they chose not to attend the G7.
On Friday, Sir Keir and his freshly elected Wakefield MP met with Labour activists at Ossett Market.
What a judgment this is on the Tories and Boris Johnson, the Labour leader said to cheering supporters. “If they had any decency, they would get out of the way for the good of the country.”
“Wakefield will be remembered as the cradle of that when we do establish the next Labour government, and we are going to accomplish it.”