A flight removing the first asylum seekers to Rwanda under a controversial new immigration policy will take off from the UK today, the government has confirmed.
Foreign secretary Liz Truss said a flight to east Africa is scheduled on Tuesday evening, but could not say how many people would be on it.
The policy, which is part of home secretary Priti Patel’s bid to curb Channel crossings, appeared to hit a hurdle when several people due to be sent to Rwanda as well as campaign groups asked court judges to block their deportation flights.
But members of the government have defended the policy after three Court of Appeal judges ruled that the removal could go ahead.
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