Some £300 million has already been committed to Rwanda under the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with the African state, and cannot be reclaimed.
However, there is a break clause in the agreement. Once activated, it will mean the Home Office can save on two further £50 million payments in 2025 and 2026 as well as up to £120 million, which would have to be paid once 300 people have been relocated, and on the £20,000 payments per individual relocated.
Last month, The Telegraph revealed how migrants in northern France said they were waiting for a Labour government before crossing the Channel after Sir Keir’s pledge to scrap the Rwanda scheme. Some said they were worried about the threat of being deported.
However, a Labour spokesman said: “If the Tories thought their Rwanda scheme would work, they wouldn’t have called an election before a flight could take off. Instead, as soon as the Prime Minister named a date for an election, many of those supposedly earmarked for removal were bailed.
“By calling an election now, Sunak was acknowledging what many have been saying for a while – the flights were never going to go and the whole Rwanda scheme was a long and extortionate saga we’ve all been forced to sit through.”
A Tory spokesman said: “The only way to get regular flights off to Rwanda and stop the boats is to vote Conservative. A vote for any other party means a Starmer government, which would cancel the fights.
“The result of that will be the UK becoming the asylum capital of the world. It will mean record numbers of boat crossings, beginning the day that Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper get into government.”
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