First flight taking asylum seekers to Rwanda could leave as soon as the summer, Rishi Sunak says
THE first flight taking asylum seekers to Rwanda could leave as soon as the summer, the PM said today.
Thousands of migrants will be sent to the African country in a relocation scheme as part of Rishi Sunak’s small boats crackdown.
He outlined ambitions for the £120million scheme despite the case being heard in the Court of Appeal next month.
It comes after The Sun revealed at the weekend the jets may be delayed until Christmas due to on-going legal challenges.
But the PM, who met coastguard patrol staff in Dover yesterday, remains confident.
He said: “You’ve seen that we’ve had a High Court ruling a little while ago that unequivocally ruled in the government’s favour.
“The Court of Appeal is due to hear the case towards the end of April and we’d get a decision relatively soon after that.
“As soon as we finish the UK legal proceedings we would look to start operationalising the Rwanda partnership.”
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel signed a five-year partnership deal with Rwanda last April to deport asylum seekers.
It comes as Rishi Sunak addressed aspiring migrants directly at a No 10 press conference last night.
The PM said: “If you come to the UK illegally, you can’t claim asylum.
“You can’t benefit from our modern slavery protections.
“You can’t make spurious human rights claims.
“You can’t stay.”