Deportation flights to Rwanda have been booked to take off in June, the Daily Express understands.
Official papers, seen by this newspaper, show charter planes have been put on standby to remove illegal immigrants to the East African nation.
Rishi Sunak today vowed “No ifs, no buts, these flights are going” as he signalled the first deportations would happen within “10 to 12 weeks”.
The June date was discussed at a crunch meeting this morning in No10 between the PM, his deputy Oliver Dowden, Home Secretary James Cleverly, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and minister for illegal migration Michael Tomlinson.
A briefing document from the meeting states: “The first charter flight to Rwanda is provisionally scheduled for June.”
Commercial flights to Rwanda with failed asylum seekers onboard will also begin leaving before then, the official papers showed.
The new agreement, which is separate to the deportation scheme, is aimed at removing thousands of migrants whose claims have been rejected and cannot remain in the UK, but are unable to return to their own country.
The document added: “[Home Office] are also looking at the possibility of transferring some individual failed asylum seekers to Rwanda by commercial airlines ahead of the first [migration and economic development partnership] flight.
It reveals that the Home Office is working to draft a process in the event EU judges at the European Court of Human Rights issues a rule 39 interim measure to suspend the removal of one or more migrants.
It says the government will “go to the wire” on mitigating the “significant” legal risks.
Mr Sunak’s bullishness over the scheme came ahead of a dramatic parliamentary showdown between MPs and Peers.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, he confirmed Parliament will sit throughout the night if that is what it takes to get the flagship scheme approved today.
Mr Sunak said: “For almost two years our opponents have used every trick in the book to block flights and keep the boats coming.
“Enough is enough. No more prevarication, no more delay. Parliament will sit there tonight and vote no matter how late it goes.
“No ifs, no buts. These flights are going to Rwanda.”
The House of Lords has blocked the legislation by repeatedly amending the Bill, costing the Government three weeks of delay.
The wrangling has even forced Mr Sunak to ditch his spring deadline for getting flights to Kigali off the ground.
