UPDATE 1-UK trade union loses legal challenge over guidance for civil servants on Rwanda policy

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LONDON, July 5 (Reuters) – A trade union on Friday lost a legal challenge over guidance given to civil servants on Britain’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, though that policy is likely to be scrapped by the incoming Labour government.

The FDA union took legal action over guidance issued to government officials, which tells civil servants to obey ministers if they decide to ignore temporary injunctions issued by the European Court of Human Rights.

The union’s lawyers

argued at a hearing

last month that this unlawfully involves civil servants in “a clear violation of international law” in breach of their code of conduct.

But London’s High Court rejected the FDA’s case on Friday, with Judge Martin Chamberlain saying that the guidance accurately reflected civil servants’ code of conduct.

The ruling, however, is likely to be academic as incoming prime minister Keir Starmer has

promised to scrap

the controversial policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda. (Reporting by Sam Tobin; editing by Sarah Young)

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