Entertainment Have I Got News For You
Have I Got News For You tag-teamed the Rwanda Scheme to utterly brutal effect
Rishi Sunak‘s increasing obsession with sending aylum seekers to Rwanda has unfortunately been indulged and encouraged by a couple of recent developments.
Firstly, the Rwanda Bill finally stumbled through Parliament after natural supply teacher Sunak effectively told both Houses that they were jolly well going to stay until everybody had completed the assignment.
Update: Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation bill will become law after peers eventually backed down on amending it, opening the way for legal battles over potential removal of dozens of people seeking asylum https://t.co/qhwXUN2Zdq
— Pippa Crerar (@PippaCrerar) April 23, 2024
Secondly, the Home Office has started rounding up those asylum seekers who may be on the first Rwanda flights, which is in no way a completely dystopian nightmare straight from the fevered mind of George Orwell.
This is grim, sinister and superficial stuff – a plan for human misery timed around the elections
Home Office to detain asylum seekers across UK in shock Rwanda operation https://t.co/29JyzIkC1B
— Liam Thorp (@LiamThorpECHO) April 28, 2024
While Suella Braverman thinks all her birthdays have come at once, the host of the most recent episode of Have I Got News For You, Martin Lewis, plus team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton and guest Ignacio Lopez pulled the whole thing to pieces with some brutal but very funny comedy.
Here’s Martin’s on-brand intro to the topic.
Martin Lewis, "In a surprising historical reversal, Britain is about to start rounding people up against their will and shipping them to Africa" #HIGNFY @MartinSLewis
"The Rwanda scheme is proving quite expensive. Base cost of £370 million.. And an additional charge of… pic.twitter.com/zCixgdB6vq
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) April 26, 2024
If it had been a wrestling match, we’d have expected the referee to step in and declare a win for Have I Got News For You and organise an ambulance for the Rwanda Scheme, but its troubles were far from over.
Ian, Ignacio and Paul stepped through the ropes and continued to give the scheme a thorough beating.
Ian Hislop, "When Rishi Sunak was Chancellor, he said the Rwanda bill was a terrible idea. So he's now putting through a bill he didn't want anyway. Was set up by Boris Johnson. Remember him? So much of what he did went so well. And he thinks this is going to save him from defeat… pic.twitter.com/eWvgyEFoek
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) April 26, 2024
It was HIGNFY at its biting best, and Twitter/X appreciated it.
1.
Ian Hislop, "Embarrassingly, we have accepted asylum seekers in Britain, from Rwanda, on the grounds it is not safe for them".
Says it all. https://t.co/B86GgbW0Py
— Matthias Mueller (@MatthiasMuell15) April 27, 2024
2.
the Rwandan bungie line……. pic.twitter.com/tUjzWjT1JG
— marknew (@marknew33597947) April 26, 2024
3.
To be honest, HIGNFY is the strongest voice taking the Govt to task these days
— Catherine Jones (@sluggy1967) April 27, 2024
4.
Martin Lewis, as ever brilliant, nails it on #HIGNFY https://t.co/9Gwhy05qxN
— Mark Todd ❤️ (@MarkTodd_pol) April 27, 2024
5.
So true that good comedy comes from tragedy! The Rwanda bill truly tragic and shameful…
— Rebecca Hadley (@Reb45) April 27, 2024
6.
Brilliant bit of script writing and well done the excellent Martin Lewis for making it clear where he – like anyone else who isn’t a dolt or a desperate tory thug – stands in relation to this clusterf*** https://t.co/GyzAWewF5n
— Tom Bradley (@TomBrad18427379) April 27, 2024
7.
Ridiculous meets reality. It would be funny but it's true.
— Lainey #FBPA #FBPPR #FBPE (@EH54_Lainey) April 26, 2024
8.
This is just brilliant , lesson to MS journalists
— Dr Shivaji Jadhav #FBPE #RejoinEU (@Shivajihimself) April 27, 2024
9.
Rishi Sunak is only doing this for votes. He’s banking on winning due to this immigration policy. He would be disappointed.
— Bisi (@loadbmuni & Lewis Hamilton Fan) (@LhBisi) April 27, 2024
10.
British people are most concerned about the economy which can only be fixed by getting rid of Brexit.
But Sunak is more concerned with the monstrously awful Rwanda plan which he knows can’t work.
— Liz Webster (@LizWebsterSBF) April 27, 2024
11.
Almost spat my coffee against my monitor: "In a surprising historical reversal, Britain is about to start rounding people up against their will and shipping them to Africa" https://t.co/o4fo06Ju6n
— Marco Craveiro, PhD (@MarcoCraveiro) April 27, 2024
It’s the eternal problem for satirists.
This would be even funnier if it wasn’t so damn sad and ‘torylistically’ typical.
— M3rcury (@SimonM3rcury) April 27, 2024
You can watch the full episode here.
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Ian Hislop totally nailed Rishi Sunak and his flailing Rwanda policy on Have I Got News For You
Source Farrukh Image Screengrab