Since the Tory Government announced its Rwanda policy in April 2022, it has sent Rwanda £240m with £50m more due in April 2024, and further unspecified sums promised.

No asylum seekers have been sent to Rwanda, and the estimated capacity of the Rwanda scheme is just a few hundred people – less than 1% of those arriving in the UK. We need serious action to stop dangerous boat crossings which are putting lives at risk. No more gimmicks pandering to the extremists in the Tory Party.

That’s why Labour has put forward plans for a cross border police unit, fast-track decisions and returns, to clear the backlog, and new agreements with France and other countries. In the meantime, I will continue to oppose this deeply flawed legislation.