Cleverly says no talks being held yet with airlines over Rwanda plan

Ministers are not yet talking to airlines about flying migrants to Rwanda, the Home Secretary has said, adding that he would fight “tooth and nail” against MPs trying to kill the new Rwanda Bill.

James Cleverly said planes have not yet been found to take part in the Government’s flagship asylum policy, after reports that firms have so far refused over fears of reputational damage.

He told LBC Radio: “We are not at the stage yet where we can have those commercial negotiations.

“Of course there are carriers that will work with us.

“They work with us at the moment. There’ll be others that will come forward I’m sure to help us operationalise the Rwanda scheme.”

He indicated that he was open to tweaking legislation aimed at overcoming the Supreme Court’s objections to the stalled plan to deport migrants to Rwanda.

Despite speculation about a major rebellion by Tory MPs, the Prime Minister on December 12 won a key Commons vote on the Safety of Rwanda Bill, designed to insulate the scheme from legal challenges.

With further opposition expected during the upcoming parliamentary stages in the new year, Mr Cleverly echoed other ministers in saying the Government could compromise over amendments.

“If there are little additional things to make it even better still, we will of course consider that,” he said in the interview during a visit to Luton airport’s Border Force operation.

But in a warning shot to Labour and Tory rebels, he added: “But what I’ve always said is attempts like Keir Starmer’s stunt to try and kill off the Bill before it even started progressing through the House, we will very robustly defend ourselves against that.

“I want this Bill on the statute books. I want it to be a success, and I will fight tooth and nail against any parliamentarians who try to kill it off.”

The Home Secretary also said that the money handed to France and Rwanda in an effort to curb unauthorised migration is worth it.

Britain is paying France nearly half a billion pounds over the next three years to step up efforts to prevent small boats from crossing the Channel.

And the Home Office has paid £240 million to Kigali so far, with another payment of £50 million anticipated in 2024/25, although no flights have yet taken off.

Mr Cleverly said: “Defence of the realm does not come for free. And so it is right that we spend the money and we are seeing results.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was this week forced to admit that there was no “firm date” for meeting his promise to “stop the boats” as Channel crossings approached 30,000 for the year.

Asked why Mr Sunak has not put a deadline on fulfilling his pledge, Mr Cleverly said: “We’re not trying to chase some arbitrary point in time. We want to do it as quickly as possible.”