Rishi Sunak has raised doubts that asylum flights to Rwanda will take off by the summer, despite official briefings during Suella Braverman’s trip to the African country that plans were on track. During an appearance at the Commons liaison committee, the prime minister told MPs that “no one has promised flights by the summer” after he was pressed over the deterrent effect of the policy so far. However, a Home Office source on the trip earlier this month told reporters “we are certainly working towards getting the flights off before the summer” with several news organisations interpreting that as a pledge to remove migrants under the scheme. There remain some legal obstacles to the government’s implementation of its deal to detain and swiftly remove all migrants arriving illegally, with challenges currently going through the courts
Rishi Sunak raises doubt over asylum flights to Rwanda this summer