On the face of it, this change to the Immigration Rules looks like a serious breach of the Refugee Convention: declaring asylum claims inadmissible if pass through a 'safe' country without even assessing them. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statement-of-changes-to-the-immigration-rules-hc-1043-10-december-2020

We could end up with nearly every refugee who arrives irregularly in limbo with no decision on an asylum claim but also no possibility of being removed to a 'safe' third country with which we have no removal arrangement.

Rules go on to say that removal can be to any country on earth, basically, and only obligation to consider the refugee claim in UK is if such removal there "within a reasonable period of time is unlikely" or Home Secretary decides to.

This is a domestic law only replacement for existing international Dublin agreement removals to EU, but far, far wider and with no actual re-admission agreements so far as we can know.

Home Secretary can WANT to remove refugees to 'safe' third countries, but she can't actually do it without an agreement with a country. In meantime, genuine refugees end up waiting in limbo in the UK with claims undecided. And I THINK without any asylum support in meantime.