Airfield on standby for Rwanda flights, Rishi Sunak announces as bill set to pass

The government has an airfield on standby with commercial charter planes booked, Rishi Sunak has announced, as the Rwanda Bill is expected to finally pass today.

At a press conference this morning, the Prime Minister vowed “no foreign courts will stop us from getting flights off” as he outlined Britain’s preparations to deliver his flagship policy.

Sunak told journalists: “I can confirm that we put an airfield on standby booked commercial charter planes for specific slots, and we have 500 highly trained individuals ready to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwanda, with 300 more trained in the coming weeks.”

But the Prime Minister said he would not specify exactly when the flights would take off, because of a “loud minority who will do anything to disrupt our plans”, but pledged they would be within “10-12 weeks”.

On the Safety of Rwanda Bill, he insisted the Houses of Parliament would sit as late as required tonight, adding: “No ifs, no buts, these flights are going to Rwanda.

He said 200 trained case workers were ready and waiting, with 25 courtrooms and 150 judges ready to “deal with any legal cases quickly and decisively”.

And he pledged: “Once the processing is completed we will physically remove people.”

It comes ahead of the local and mayoral elections next week – widely expected to prove torrid for the Tories – with Sunak hoping to appear active and energetic this week in a bid to ward off any post-results leadership challenge or early election mooting.

The flagship piece of migration legislation, which forms a major part of Sunak’s premiership as one of his five pledges, has been beset by delays as it made its way through Parliament.

It will see asylum seekers who arrive in the United Kingdom irregularly flown to the East African nation for their claims to be processed, with successful claimants settled in Rwanda.

Charities and activists have expressed vehement opposition to the bill, which they argue risks infringing the human rights of some of the world’s most vulnerable. 

However, ministers and supporters of Sunak argue it will provide a strong deterrent to migrants risking their lives in small boat crossings of the English Channel to reach the UK.