Rishi Sunak says 'enough is enough' as he reveals he's missed Rwanda flights deadline

Rishi Sunak has confessed that he won't meet his spring deadline for flights to Rwanda. Revealing this during an unexpected press conference at Downing Street, the Prime Minister provided an update about the Government's greatly held up Rwanda plan.

Parliament members and peers are slated to pass the necessary legislation tonight which could finally get flights in the air. From Downing Street, Mr Sunak confirmed that the inaugural Rwanda flights will begin in 10 to 12 weeks.

It means that he has not met his individual deadline to initiate flights within spring. Mr Sunak asserted that flights would kick off regardless of any potential obstacle and pinned blame on opposition peers for the delay, saying: "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 plan was described as an "indispensable deterrent so that we finally break the business model of the criminal gangs and save lives", by Mr Sunak. He additionally noted: "Starting from the moment that the Bill passes, we will begin the process of removing those identified for the first flight. We have prepared for this moment."

Prime Minister Sunak has made it clear that a one-way charter flight is ready to transport asylum seekers from an airfield on standby. Amid speculation around the Home Office's difficulties in securing airlines for the task, even Rwandair, Rwanda's national carrier, seemed to avoid participation, reports the Mirror.

In a stern statement, he declared: "This is one of the most complex operational endeavours the Home Office has carried out. But we are ready, plans are in place and these flights will go, come what may. No foreign court will stop us from getting flights off."

However, he declined to provide any specifics about the number of folks likely to depart for Rwanda. He hinted at a consistent cycle of "multiple flights a month through the summer and beyond".

Meanwhile, Mr Sunak is wrestling with the Conservative Party's plummeting opinion poll ratings. With local elections looming on May 2, he is bracing himself for the threat of a potential leadership challenge from within his parliamentary team.

The Tories also face a challenging by-election in Blackpool South on the same day. Trying to gain initiative in a difficult situation, Mr Sunak intends to steer the party away from another scandal. In recent developments, MP Mark Menzies declared his resignation from the Tories and confirmed that he would not be contesting in the next election.

This follows accusations of misusing campaign funds to pay "bad people". The Rwanda deportation plan, unveiled two years ago in April 2022 during Boris Johnson's tenure as Prime Minister, remains a contentious issue. The Government is adamant about working late into the night to push through the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, which is crucial to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's commitment to "stop the boats".

The House of Lords has been stalling the bill with numerous amendments, dragging out the debate on this "emergency legislation" for over four months and holding up the flights designated to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda. Downing Street is resistant to the idea of making compromises to get the bill passed, resulting in a standoff with the Lords.

Even within the Commons, there's resistance from the Tory right-wing, including ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who has labelled the bill as "fatally flawed". Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, she expressed her dissent: "Unfortunately I voted against the legislation because I think it's fatally flawed. I don't think it's going to stop the boats, and that's the test of its efficacy."

Braverman further criticised the bill for having "too many loopholes". The legislation aims to address Supreme Court concerns by mandating judges to regard Rwanda as a safe destination for asylum seekers and permitting ministers to disregard emergency injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights.

Peers last week amended the Bill to carve out an exception for Afghan nationals who supported British forces, alongside a clause stipulating that Rwanda cannot be considered safe without confirmation from an independent monitoring body.

This evening, MPs are set to vote to reverse these amendments and send the Bill back to the House of Lords. There, it is possible that some peers will stand firm on their changes, potentially triggering a cycle of legislative tennis known as "ping pong", which could extend proceedings well beyond the Commons' typical 10.30pm adjournment time.