Paddington Bear wanted posters have been secretly put up in the Home Office by mutinous civil servants who oppose the deportation of migrants to Rwanda and ‘refuse to work on policy’.
It comes as rebellious mandarins have already launched a Twitter against Priti Patel‘s ‘racist’ plan and have also posted ‘refugees welcome’ stickers around offices – as the government gears up for a crunch court date tomorrow.
The Paddington poster, which is stamped with the Immigration Enforcement crest, lists a description of the fictitious bear including his ‘claimed country of origin’, before describing his ‘distinctive behaviour’ as ‘eats marmalade sandwiches’.
The poster adds that Paddington’s arrival to the UK was through a ‘clandestine irregular route, using small boat, without visa’.
It further says that he ‘may have infiltrated important establishment networks including Buckingham Palace’ using a photo, referring to a sketch with the Queen during the Platinum Jubilee festivities
Last month, the anonymous ‘Our Home Office’ account began its campaign with a banner that was allegedly displayed on an official noticeboard and read: ‘We have the spine to say, “no minister.”
‘No to hostile environments, no to shutting down democracy, no to racist deportations,’ says the statement.
The account, which has an orange heart as its profile image, has been created amid reports that some employees are planning to strike over the policy, despite the fact that political neutrality is a legal obligation for federal servants.
A poster of the Queen’s Jubilee drawing with Paddington Bear was made to look like a ‘subject of interest notice’ from immigration officials, according to one post posted by Our Home Office.
Paddington is wanted for allegedly entering the UK by a “secret clandestine route, using small boat, without visa,” and he “may have infiltrated important establishment networks, including Buckingham Palace,” according to the poster.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) and Detention Action have filed a court appeal of Rwanda’s ‘unlawful’ policy, with a hearing scheduled for tomorrow in the High Court.
Lawyers for around 100 migrants have already filed court challenges to stay in the UK, according to the charity, with the remaining 31 migrants expected to do likewise this week.
The flurry of legal proceedings has placed doubt on the flight’s ability to proceed as planned.
Today, however, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said:’We remain confident in our position, should the legal challenges require us going to the courts we will argue our case. It’s true to say the first flight is due for next week so we have that ready to go.’
According to government data, 10,020 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK so far this year.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), there were no crossings recorded today.
According to campaigners, more than 100 refugees are expected to be deported to Rwanda on the first flight next week.
The Home Office has alerted nine people who fled to the UK following the Taliban takeover that they may be deported to the East African country on Tuesday, according to Care4Calais, one of several organizations suing the government over the proposal.
Around 35 Sudanese, 18 Syrians, 14 Iranians, 11 Egyptians, as well as Iraqis, Pakistanis, Albanians, Algerians, Chadians, Eritreans, Turks, and Vietnamese, have been told they may be placed on the first flight, according to the group.
The Home Office has declined to reveal the nationality of people on board, although only Rwandans are immune from the policy, implying that those fleeing conflict, such as in Afghanistan and Ukraine, may face deportation if they are found to have entered the UK unlawfully under the new immigration restrictions.
The founder of Care4Calais, Clare Moseley, told the PA news agency: ‘The logic to this plan is flawed in many ways. Just one example is that Afghans escaping from the Taliban under our settlement scheme are protected whereas those arriving in other ways will be sent to Rwanda.’
According to figures released by the department last month, Afghan migrants accounted for nearly a quarter of all migrants crossing the Channel in the first three months of this year.
This was the highest percentage of any nationality, followed by 16 percent Iranians and 15 percent Iraqis, both of which normally outnumber Afghans in terms of numbers.
Campaigners are concerned that the government’s resettlement scheme, created to assist Afghans seeking refuge in the UK in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover, is failing, and have raised concerns that Afghans may be deported to Rwanda.
Except for lone migrant children, who are exempt, anyone who the department believes has made a risky, unnecessary, or illegal journey to the UK would fulfill the criteria for deportation to Rwanda.
While officials may likely to focus on deporting single persons in the early stages of the initiative, there is a chance that families with children may be considered for deportation.
In an interview with Sky News’ Beth Rigby today, actress Dame Emma Thompson, who has an adopted son from Rwanda, characterized the policy as ‘eye-wateringly mad and callous,’ adding that the Government’s strategy ‘does not represent the soul of this country.’
Former minister Jesse Norman, who abandoned his long-time support for Boris Johnson ahead of the confidence vote earlier this week, described the proposal as “ugly, likely to be ineffective, and questionable of legality.”
Meanwhile, amid rumors that some civil workers are opposed to the proposal, a Twitter account called ‘Our Home Office’ has been set up, purporting to be controlled by department employees, voicing support for migrants.
However, senior Home Office officials are said to be unaware of any employees who have refused to work on the policy.
The Home Office ‘expected legal challenges, but we are determined to deliver this new partnership,’ according to a spokesperson, adding that the policy ‘fully complies with international and national law.’