First deportation flight to Rwanda will not leave till summer, admits Sunak

Rishi Sunak confessed on Monday that the plan for deporting individuals from Rwanda would not commence until the summer. This implies that there will be an additional delay to the strategy, even though MPs and peers are currently discussing it for the last time.

During a press conference, the leader of the government announced that the initial flights transporting individuals seeking refuge to Kigali would not depart until 10 to 12 weeks from now, even though they had previously stated that this would happen in the spring.

Sunak updated the schedule just before MPs commenced their final day of discussing the Rwanda bill. Both the Commons and the Lords were prepared for an extended period of debate.

Sunak stated that he had had enough and it was time to take action. He declared that there would be no more hesitation, no more postponing. Parliament would convene that evening and cast their vote regardless of how long it took. There were to be no exceptions or alternative solutions.

"We will initiate the removal process for those shortlisted for the first flight as soon as the bill is passed. Our team is fully equipped to handle this task and we have made all necessary arrangements beforehand."

Sunak has made it a priority to stop individuals from crossing the Channel in small boats, and the Rwanda program is a key component of his plan. However, many have cautioned that simply threatening deportation may not be enough to dissuade those who are determined to make the treacherous journey.

On Monday, he stated that his policy would only be deemed successful if the border crossings come to a complete halt. He emphasized that the country anticipates nothing less than complete cessation of boat arrivals.

As the Conservatives trail by over 20 points in the polls, many within the party are anticipating that the Rwanda initiative's early triumph will give them an advantage in the election and turn the attention towards Labour's immigration strategies.

On Monday, Sunak attempted to hold the Labour party accountable for the various postponements of the initiative's launch, despite the fact that the government had the opportunity to approve it sooner through parliamentary discussions.

"If the Labour peers didn't cause delays in passing the bill at the House of Lords with an aim to completely prevent such flights, we would have initiated this process several weeks earlier," he expressed.

On Monday, Members of Parliament (MPs) and officials were getting ready to engage in lengthy discussions throughout the night. They were deliberating on whether or not changes should be made to the Rwanda bill, which declares that it's safe to deport people back to the country in East Africa.

Following some back-and-forth discussions, stubborn colleagues stood firm at 9pm and insisted that Members of Parliament reconsider for a fifth instance.

The House of Lords has approved, with 240 votes in favor and 211 against, a proposal that demands the east African nation to be recognized as unsafe until the secretary of state has consulted with an unbiased monitoring group and made an official declaration to parliament. This measure was passed with a majority of 29 votes.

Despite initial demands, the opposing side eventually dropped their request for Afghan nationals who aided British soldiers to be exempt from being taken away. This move was seen by critics as a compromise on their part.

According to a minister from the Home Office, the administration will not transport individuals who qualify for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) to Rwanda.

In simpler terms, Lord Sharpe informed his colleagues in the House of Lords that the government will not send back to Rwanda those individuals who have been deemed eligible for resettlement in the UK due to their past affiliation with Afghan specialist units. This decision will only apply to those who are currently residing in the UK and have received a positive eligibility decision after undergoing the Arap review.

In the past, Jeremy Wright, who used to be the attorney general for the Conservative party, informed members of Parliament while in discussion: "This legislation solely addresses the initial confirmation of safety and does not incorporate a way for Parliament to alter its decision if the circumstances shift."

The shadow immigration minister, Stephen Kinnock, spoke out against the plan. He strongly criticized the government for lacking respect and decency towards everyone. This includes asylum seekers, British taxpayers, and our nation as a whole. In his opinion, the prime minister and his government have no regard for these important values.

Despite this, the Labour party has declared that they will not completely abandon the bill in the House of Lords. As a result, the government has less motivation to provide any final concessions to those who may consider rebelling.

The authorities are optimistic that the proposed legislation will obtain the approval of the monarch in the coming days. However, they anticipate facing several legal disputes that could take several weeks to resolve before air travel can resume within the next three months.

The leader of the country mentioned that there is an airport available and arranged for private plane transportation for refugees who want to move to Rwanda permanently. This will occur in about three months, with the first flight taking off in early July and more occurring regularly a few times each month.

He mentioned that the court system now has more resources to handle any legal issues that may arise in a timely and efficient manner. This includes having access to 25 courtrooms and 150 judges who can provide a total of 5,000 sitting days. Additionally, the government has expanded the number of available detention spaces to 2,200, and has assigned 500 officials to be responsible for escorting individuals to Rwanda.

Government officials are currently engaged in searching for prospective nations to make comparable agreements with moving forward. Armenia, Ivory Coast, Costa Rica, and Botswana have been approached for preliminary talks.

On Monday, the government of Armenia declared that they have opted out from proceeding with a possible agreement. They came up with this decision primarily because they think that they are already dealing with a considerable number of problems regarding refugees.

Armenia has been trying to integrate 120,000 refugees who were expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijani soldiers since September 2023.