UK ministers were warned of Rwanda political killings before approving flight to deport asylum-seekers

Ministers attempting to send asylum seekers to Rwanda were warned by a Foreign Office official that the government in Kigali used “abitrary detention, torture and even killings” to stifle political opposition, the High Court has been told.

Priti Patel’s Home Office is currently embroiled in a legal row over whether its asylum policy is lawful and – ahead of a court battle next month – foreign secretary Liz Truss has sought this week to keep certain documents relating to the government’s plans a secret.

The contested extracts relate to comments made by an unnamed Foreign Office official tasked with reviewing a public Home Office document summarising conditions in Rwanda, which was being updated at the same time as ministers were planning their controversial policy.