PM abandons hopes of Rwanda f lights taking off in the spring

RISHI Sunak has been forced to abandon his hopes of the first Rwanda deportation planes taking off in the spring.

The Prime Minister pledged in November that flights carrying Channel migrants to Africa would be up and running ‘by the spring’.

But yesterday Downing Street refused to commit to that date after the House of Lords again held up the legislation needed to declare that Rwanda is safe and limit further legal challenges.

The revised timetable is expected to be set out next week when the Safety of Rwanda Bill finally passes into law, with the PM prepared to force MPs and peers to sit through the night on Monday if necessary to avoid any more delays.

Asked if spring was still the target, the PM’s spokesman said: ‘We’re working at pace to ensure these flights leave as soon as possible. It’s now incumbent on the Lords to pass this bill such that we can trigger the final planning phases and ultimately stop the boats.’

A government source admitted the prospect of flights in the spring was fading. ‘ This latest delay from the Lords does make it look very difficult,’ they said.

Some Conservatives believe the law – which declares Rwanda a safe country for asylum seekers after the Supreme Court ruled it unlawful – should have been forced through Parliament before Easter or this week, rather than allowing peers to hold it up.

But No 10 denied the Government was responsible for the slow passage of what was first deemed to be ‘emergency legislation’. The PM’s spokesman said Mr Sunak was ‘frustrated’ by the behaviour of the Lords, adding: ‘We want to see it passed as soon as possible.’

Ministers sought to pin the blame on Labour, claiming the opposition has now voted to block, delay or weaken the Rwanda plan 121 times. One amendment to the bill from Labour peers on Wednesday sought to protect those who worked for the British Armed Forces overseas, such as Afghan interpreters, from deportation.

Asked why the Government would not support the proposal, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Radio 4: ‘The way to do that is legally, not by allowing people who’ve come here via people smugglers to then stay here.’

Sir Keir Starmer said: ‘Thousands of people are waiting to have their claims processed and the Government is talking about removing a few hundred.’