UK minister appears to mix up Rwanda and Congo on Question Time

During the recent airing of BBC Question Time, Chris Philp, who is the minister for policing, made an error when he seemingly swapped the countries of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

During a segment on the BBC One show which addressed the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda, the member of parliament representing Croydon South reacted to a query from a member of the audience by inquiring: "Isn't Rwanda distinct from Congo?".

According to a source close to Philp, he asked a rhetorical question, as reported by the BBC.

During the event, a guest in attendance shared that he hailed from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is currently in conflict with Rwanda. He posed a question, wondering whether his family members who are traveling from Goma, a city along the country's border, would be forced to go back to Rwanda, a country with which the DRC is supposedly at war, if they attempted to cross the Channel at this time.

"Does that sound understandable to you?"

Philp answered, "I don't believe individuals from Rwanda are allowed to be deported to their home country."

During a public event, a member of the audience raised an issue by stating that their family did not belong to Rwanda. Rather, they were from Congo. In response, the Conservative MP questioned whether Rwanda was a separate country from Congo.

The statement elicited a brief burst of amusement from certain spectators of the discussion show and also caught the attention of Wes Streeting, the opposition spokesperson for health, who quickly scanned the audience.

Philp stated that there is a provision in the law that prohibits sending someone to a place where they may experience serious and irreversible damage. This clause ensures that individuals are protected from harm.

"There is a safety feature included in the law."

The nations nearby have a lengthy past of fighting violently.

On Thursday, the Rwanda bill received royal assent and officially became a law, allowing the initiation of deportation flights.