British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak yesterday promised that deportation flights to Rwanda would begin this summer and called on the House of Lords to stop blocking his immigration policy. The takeoff of the flights has been stalled by a standoff between the Lords and the House of Commons for more than two months, thwarting Sunak’s plans to launch deportation flights ahead of next week’s local elections.
The parliamentary deadlock is just the latest hurdle to delay implementation of a plan that has been repeatedly blocked by a series of court rulings and opposition from human rights activists.
The Government plans to deport some of those entering the UK illegally to Rwanda as a deterrent to migrants who risk their lives in inflatable boats crossing the English Channel. Parliament is likely to sit for as long as necessary to ensure passage of legislation; The prospect of further court challenges seems likely despite language in the bill aimed at thwarting that, said Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London. “I think the biggest takeaway is how desperate the government clearly is to get this legislation passed on the grounds that it will allow them to at least make a down payment on their promise to stop the boats,” Bale said.
Sunak claimed yesterday that the first flights would take off in 10-12 weeks, but refused to provide details on how many people would be deported or exactly when the flights would take place. According to him, the information could help opponents continue trying to frustrate his policies. He also suggested that the Government was prepared to ignore the European Court of Human Rights if it tried to block the deportations.
