Rwanda election threatens to delay deportation flights until July votes cast

Rwanda’s presidential elections are threatening to delay deportation flights to the country until July, the Telegraph understands.

Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s president, is seeking to extend his 24-year-old hold on the post in an election campaign due to start on June 15 with the votes cast on July 15.

Rishi Sunak has expressed his ambition to get the first flights off to Rwanda this spring but saw the Rwanda Bill defeated and amended for a second time in the Lords last week, potentially delaying them until June.

“Just like purdah in Whitehall when announcements that might influence the election are not allowed, you should not expect Rwanda to operate any differently with respect to an event during the election campaign like the first flight to the country,” said a Whitehall source.

Although Rwanda said its airport and migrant accommodation would “remain operational” during the election campaign period, sources said it would be politically difficult for the first flights to come in during the election period. A Rwandan government spokesman added: “Rwanda remains committed to making sure the Partnership is a success.”

The £500 million Migration and Economic Partnership under which illegal migrants to the UK are deported to Rwanda to claim asylum there has won the backing of the public in the central African state because of the financial benefits to the country.

But it is opposed by Frank Habineza, the Rwandan opposition leader, who is standing against Mr Kagame for the presidency. He has said it is “not right” for a country like the UK to run away from its obligations and pass responsibility to a country like Rwanda.

The window for getting the flights off before June 15 has narrowed after the Lords defeated the Government with seven amendments to the Rwanda Bill on Wednesday, delaying its passage until after the Easter recess.

MPs are not due to return until April 15 for the second round of ping pong when the Government is expected to seek to overturn the Lords’ amendments and return the Bill for a second time to the upper house.

The three-and-a-half-week delay means that the deportation flights are likely to be pushed back from May to June because of the required legal appeal process for migrants and logistical preparations for their detention and removal to Rwanda.

The Home Office is expected to issue Rwanda deportation notices to the first 150 migrants earmarked for the first two flights within days of the Bill gaining Royal Assent.

But, after being notified of their removal to Rwanda, each migrant will have a right to appeal which Home Office insiders say could take as long as 10 weeks.

The Judiciary has agreed to provide up to 5,000 additional sitting days by judges to try to fast-track the process in an attempt to ensure the first flights get off as quickly as possible.

But internal Home Office documents show that officials have identified “several critical risks” that could delay the first deportation flights.

‘Our spring timeline has not changed’

One risk would be officials failing to locate and detain sufficient numbers of migrants - some of whom might abscond - combined with “significant attrition” through the legal process that could mean there were “few/none” migrants available for a flight to Rwanda.

The second risk was identified as the logistics of removing migrants from immigration removal centres to the airfield, through protests by asylum campaigners, terrible weather or commercial airlines or escort providers being unwilling to deliver their contracted services.

The third risk was Rwanda not being ready for arrivals including not having the out-of-country judicial review facilities for legal aid, leading to legal challenges that could see migrants having to be returned to the UK.

A Home Office source said the Government was working with Rwanda to get the flights off as quickly as possible. Number 10 said the Lords’ votes would not affect the timetable for the flights with the aim remaining to get them off by the spring.

A Home Office spokesman said: “Our spring timeline has not changed and once the Safety of Rwanda Bill and Treaty are in place, we will get flights off the ground as soon as possible.

“We have a strong relationship with Rwanda and we continue to work closely with them to operationalise the policy.”