Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that deportation flights to Rwanda will not commence before the upcoming election.
Initially, the government planned to launch the flights carrying asylum seekers in early June 2024.
However, Sunak revised this timeline, stating the flights would now depart in July, contingent on his re-election.
He said, “If I am re-elected as Prime Minister on 5 July, these flights will go.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to halt small-boat crossings in the English Channel as a key priority when he took office.
The government announced that flights to Rwanda are part of its immigration control plan. However, new legal challenges from human rights organizations have delayed the implementation of the Rwanda scheme.
Meanwhile, Channel crossings have reached record numbers in the first half of 2024, indicating that the government’s measures have not effectively deterred migrants.
In a recent revelation, it emerged that the £500 million Rwanda plan will not be operational before the upcoming election.
This contradicted earlier assurances from the Home Office that flights would begin by the end of June.
Yvette Cooper, the Shadow Home Secretary, criticized Sunak’s plan, describing it as a “con” and suggesting that the government’s promises were never genuine.
“The Prime Minister’s own words this morning show this whole Rwanda scheme has been a con from start to finish.
“With all the hundreds of millions they have spent, it would be extraordinary if ‘symbolic flights’ didn’t take off in early July, as the Tories planned. But Rishi Sunak’s words confirm what we’ve known all along – he doesn’t believe this plan will work and that’s why he called the election now in the desperate hope that he won’t be found out.”
Yvette Cooper
Moreover, the Labour Party announced that it will ditch the plan to deport migrants to Rwanda if it wins the upcoming election.
Instead, Labour intends to establish a new border force command, funded by reallocating £75 million from the existing Rwanda scheme budget.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak criticized Labour’s proposal, arguing that it effectively offers an “amnesty” to migrants arriving illegally. Sunak emphasized that under the current situation, there are no existing channels for these migrants to apply for asylum.
“If you want border security, if you want to restore fairness to our migration system, there’s a clear choice, and I’m the one that’s prepared to take bold action.
“I believe the only way to fully solve this problem is to have a deterrent. To make it crystal clear that if you come to our country illegally, you won’t be able to stay and we’ll be able to remove you to a safe third country alternative.”
Rishi Sunak
Sunak said Labour’s plan would make the UK “a soft touch. Europe will be a magnet for illegal migrants from everywhere.”
Sunak Finally Calls For General Election
After months of speculation, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a snap general election set for July 4, 2024.
Speaking outside Downing Street on May 22, Sunak announced that King Charles had granted his request to dissolve Parliament. He promised to “fight for every vote” in the upcoming weeks.
In his speech, Mr Sunak said, “In the last five years our country has fought through the most challenging times since the Second World War.”
“As I stand here as your prime minister, I can’t help but reflect that my first proper introduction to you was just over four years ago. I stood behind one of the podiums upstairs in the building behind me.”
Rishi Sunak
In response to the announcement of the general election, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer declared, “It’s time for change,” emphasizing that “by the force of our democracy, power returns to you. A chance to change for the better your future.”
The next seven weeks will witness intense campaigning from all parties as they compete for votes across the country.
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