THE Rwanda deportation plan is ready to be put into action with all the “preparatory work” in place, the Prime Minister has said.
Rishi Sunak did not reveal the airline that will transport migrants to the African country as he argued that would breach commercial confidentiality.
PAThe Safety of Rwanda Bill is currently stuck in the House of Lords[/caption]
But the PM said the preparations are “all being made and have been made for a while” to operationalise his flagship Rwanda Bill.
The legislation is currently stuck in the House of Lords after peers made further attempts to water it down last week.
It is set to return to the House of Commons after the Easter break for a second round of “ping pong” – the process whereby a Bill is batted between the two Parliamentary chambers until they can agree the final wording.
Parliament dates could have been set aside for it before the recess but No 10 officials insist even if the Bill is not passed until after Easter, the PM can still meet his goal of having the first deportation flights take off this spring.
Appearing in front of the powerful Liaison Committee, made up of the chairs of all Select Committees, Mr Sunak was asked if an airline for the deportation scheme had been found.
He said: “The Home Office are making all the appropriate arrangements.
“There is a range of options that they’re considering. You wouldn’t expect me to get into the detail of those because they may well involve as you would expect commercial conversations.
“The preparations are all being made and have been made for a while to operationalise the Bill.”
He added: “All the preparatory work to operationalise the Bill has been in place for a while.”
Mr Sunak later said he was “very confident” the Rwanda asylum scheme was in compliance with the UK’s international obligations.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry asked the PM if he was proud of telling Tory MPs to vote against an amendment preventing Afghans who had supported British forces in Afghanistan from being deported to Rwanda.
Mr Sunak said “I really disagree with that characterisation”, adding that in light of recent debates in Parliament about MPs’ intimidation, “I actually think characterising like that is deeply unhelpful”.
Pressed again, he said: “We have a very clear obligation to make sure that we support those who aided us in Afghanistan, and we’re delivering on that.”
WHAT IS THE RWANDA PLAN? IMMIGRATION SCHEME EXPLAINED
What is the Rwanda plan?
Under the plan, anyone who arrives in Britain illegally will be deported to Rwanda, a country in eastern Africa.
The government believes the threat of being removed to Rwanda will deter migrants from making the dangerous Channel crossing in small boats.
Once in Rwanda, their asylum claims will be processed but there is no route back to the UK, save for some exceptional circumstances such as individual safety concerns. Britain will pay for migrants to start a new life in Rwanda.
What’s the hold up?
First announced by Boris Johnson in 2022, the scheme has been bogged down by relentless legal challenges.
The first flight was due to take off in summer 2022, but was blocked on the runway at the last minute by a European Court order.
Since then the legality of the plan has been contested in the courts, culminating in a Supreme Court judgement in November last year which said Rwanda was unsafe for asylum seekers.
What is Sunak doing?
To salvage the Rwanda plan from the Supreme Court’s scathing ruling, Rishi Sunak announced a two-pronged workaround.
First, he would sign a new treaty with Rwanda to beef up protections for asylum seekers that will be enshrined in law.
Second, he would introduce new legislation that would declare Rwanda a safe country.
It would mean courts, police and officials would have to treat it as safe unless there is a risk of individual and irreparable harm.
How long will that take?
The legislation has cleared the Commons but is now being held up in the House of Lords.
Rishi Sunak does not have a majority in the Lords, and peers are far more hostile to the plan.
They will likely send it back to the Commons with amendments watering down the scheme.
Such changes would be unconscionable to MPs who would strip out the measures and send it back.
This “ping-pong” will continue until either side – usually the unelected Lords – gives in and the Bill passes.
When will flights take off?
Mr Sunak wants to get the first flights sent to Rwanda by the spring.
But potential hurdles include more court battles launched by individual migrants or the European Court of Human Rights.
Mr Sunak has vowed to ignore any more orders by Strasbourg judges to ground planes, although individual appeals in domestic courts could prove tricky.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will scrap the scheme if he is elected PM, even if it is working.
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