According to Mark Easton of the BBC, only seven asylum seekers now need to be on the flight to Rwanda departing tonight.
Only 7 asylum seekers need to be sent to Rwanda on a charter flight to move to @ukhomeoffice tonight. The 200-seat 767 is likely to cost £ 0.5 million, but ministers say it is important to establish the principle.
– Mark Easton (@BBCMarkEaston) June 14, 2022
Updated at 09.43 BST
Tres responded to bishops, saying Rwanda’s deportation policy “embarrasses Britain”, saying they have no alternative plan
Good morning. Tonight, the first flight is due to leave the United Kingdom, carrying asylum seekers who have crossed the English Channel on a one-way trip to Rwanda. This is the first flight planned under a policy announced earlier this year and described by Tom Parsglow, the interior minister, in the municipality on Monday as “the first in the world” and part of the world’s leading partnership for migration and economic development. Rwanda “, which will” change the way we collectively deal with illegal immigration “.
There is a differing assessment of the merits of politics in the Times this morning, where all 25 bishops and archbishops sitting in the House of Lords signed a letter saying it was an “immoral policy” that “shames Britain”. Here is the letter in full.
Whether or not the first deportation flight leaves Britain today for Rwanda, this policy should embarrass us as a nation. Rwanda is a brave country recovering from the catastrophic genocide. Shame is our own, because our Christian heritage should inspire us to treat asylum seekers with compassion, justice, and fairness, as we have done for centuries. Those who will be deported to Rwanda have not had a chance to appeal or reunite with their families in Britain. They did not take into account their application for asylum, the recognition of their medical or other needs or their attempt to understand their difficulty.
There are many desperate people fleeing indescribable horrors. There are many Iranians, Eritreans and Sudanese nationals who have an asylum rate of at least 88%. These are people that Jesus meant, as he said, when we offer hospitality to a stranger, we do it for him. They are the vulnerable ones that the Old Testament calls us to appreciate. We cannot offer asylum to everyone, but we must not outsource our ethical responsibilities or reject international law – which protects the right to seek asylum.
We need to end bad traffic; many churches are involved in the fight against it. This requires global cooperation at all levels of society. To reduce dangerous journeys to the United Kingdom, we need safe routes: the church will continue to advocate for them. But deportations – and the potential forced return of asylum seekers to their home countries – are not the way to go. This immoral policy shames Britain.
Liz Trass, the Secretary of State, was interviewed by the government this morning and she rejected the claim of the leaders of the Church of England. She told Sky News:
I do not agree with [the letter], the people who are immoral in this case are the traffickers of people trading in human misery. These people need to propose an alternative policy that will work. Our policy is completely legal, completely moral.
What I say to policy critics who have no alternative to how we deal with this illegal migration is that they have no alternative, they criticize our policy, which is effective and works.
Only about seven or eight asylum seekers are still scheduled to be on the flight tonight. Initially, their number was much higher, but many people managed to stop their removal orders by going to court. Additional legal challenges lie ahead today, and some government sources say it could lead to the cancellation of the flight before the scheduled departure time at 9:30 p.m.
But in interviews this morning, Trus said the flight would take off tonight. She told the Today show:
What I can say is that the flight will depart tonight for Rwanda, and if people are not on the flight today, they will be on the next flights.
Asked if she said she could leave without asylum seekers, she said:
I’m sure there will be people on it. What I can’t say is how many people will be involved. But the important thing is that we are establishing the principle that we are creating a deterrent to deter these gangs from human trafficking from the horrific human misery they trade.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30 am: Boris Johnson chairs office.
10 a.m.: The Supreme Court is expected to hear additional legal appeals on behalf of individual asylum seekers facing deportation to Rwanda on a flight due tonight.
10 a.m.: Lord Hyde, Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, testifies before the Municipal Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
11 a.m.: Nicholas Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, holds a press conference to release the first in a series of documents arguing for Scottish independence.
11.30 am: Downing Street holds a briefing in the lobby.
12.15pm: Robert Corts, Minister of Aviation, testifies before the Commons Business Cancellation Committee.
After 12.30 pm: MEPs begin to discuss a Labor proposal condemning Kevin Foster, the Minister of Legal Migration, for tackling the Passport Crisis.
2.30pm: Lady Vera Baird, Commissioner for Victims of England and Wales, testifies before the Municipal Justice Committee on the Victims Bill.
I’m trying to follow the comments below the line (BTL), but it’s impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, include Andrew somewhere in it and I’m more likely to find it. I try to answer questions and if they are of common interest, I will publish the question and answer over the order (ATL), although I cannot promise to do this for everyone.
If you want to get my attention quickly, it’s probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com
Updated at 09.30 BST
Add Comment