The Prime Minister has admitted that no flights will take off for Rwanda before the general election on 4 July which will be seen by many as another “let down” for Tory voters.
Speaking to LBC radio on Thursday Rishi Sunak said, “If I’m elected, we will get the flights off after the election.”
Home Office officials admitted on Wednesday evening that it is “very, very unlikely” asylum seekers will be sent to Rwanda during the election.
With Labour having a lead in the polls it looks likely at this point Sir Keir Starmer could win the general election which could see the Rwanda scheme being scrapped.
Brexiteer commentator Patrick O’Flynn said, “Another terrible let down then”.
“Looks like Jenrick and Braverman were right about the vulnerability of the Safety of Rwanda Act.
“Otherwise why wouldn’t Sunak have waited for it to start working?”
The Prime Minister was asked by GB News presenter, “You’re clearly very proud of the Rwanda plan, you sound very confident that it’s going to work, why then have you set an election for July 4 when it’s thought these first flights are going to take off the first week of July – and that’s without any legal challenges.
“Do you not want to see those flights take off first, and do you not want to see that plan working… or are you concerned that those planes are not actually going to take off and the plan’s not going to work, and that’s why you’re calling [the election] early?”
Sunak said the Rwanda plan “is going to work” as all the preparations in place.
He added, “We’ve trained hundreds of caseworkers, we’ve identified the cohort of the first people that will be sent, we’ve got an airfield on standby, we’ve booked flights, we’ve got the escorts ready, and as people have been watching on their TV screens and in the papers, we’ve already started detaining those who will be removed in subsequent flights.
“That’s the choice at this election: if you elect me, those flights will go off to Rwanda and we will begin to put in place the deterrent that we need to stop the boats.”
However, in April Sunak said that the Rwanda flights will take on July as “enough is enough.”
Sunak promised “no ifs, not buts” the flights will take off with asylum seekers in the seats and that MPs and peers will sit through the night to get the Safety of Rwanda Bill through Parliament once and for all.
