Labour and Nigel Farage accuse Tories of Rwanda ‘con’ over new voluntary flight

Keir Starmer labels Tory Rwanda plan a ‘gimmick’

Concerns have been raised that the government plans to fly two migrants to Rwanda next week in a bid to influence the general election result.

The Independent understands plans are in place to fly a person from Nigeria and another from Pakistan, who are in the UK illegally, to the East African country before the election on 4 July.

The flight, if it takes place, would be on the voluntary scheme rather than the deportation plan, which Rishi Sunak legislated for before the election.

Neither person will have crossed the Channel on a small boat.

The voluntary scheme sees the migrants flown to Rwanda, where their board and lodgings are paid for and they are given cash.

Opposition parties have raised suspicions that the flight could be a gimmick to help turn around Tory fortunes.

So far, one person, from Ghana, has been flown to Rwanda, again under the voluntary scheme. In April, Labour pointed out that the government leaked the story to The Sun with no context of which scheme applied, making it seem that the Rwanda deportation plan was operating.

Only afterwards did it emerge that it was a voluntary agreement based on a cash payment.

Immigration is one of the top three issues in the election and already the Tories are panicking about Nigel Farage’s Reform UK passing them in the polls.

Reform has leaned heavily on immigration as an issue to prise away Tory voters. Mr Farage referred to the issues of record legal immigration and the small boats in almost all his answers during Thursday evening’s seven-way debate on ITV.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer has made a pledge to take control of Britain’s borders, with a new command force listed as one of his first six steps for a Labour government.

Labour’s shadow immigration minister, Stephen Kinnock, told The Independent he is concerned about the timing of the latest flights.

He said: "A grand total of three volunteers sent to Rwanda in total – just about equals the number of home secretaries who have gone – with a bill for the taxpayer, which will cost nearly half a billion pounds.

"The whole Rwanda scheme is a con, and this last-ditch attempt from the Tories to get any credibility at all is pathetic.

"Labour will end the Tory chaos and smash the criminal gangs driving dangerous boat crossings with our elite new Border Security Command, and boost returns for those with no right to be here with our Returns and Enforcement Unit."

Nigel Farage also hit out at the move, telling The Independent: “The Tories have still not sent a single Channel migrant to Rwanda. Don’t believe a word they say.”

The Home Office said it “does not comment on operational issues”.

But a senior Tory source denied that the flights had anything to do with the election.

“[This is a] typical swipe against something that’s been going on regardless of the election, or that might challenge their terror that this scheme – that most of Europe are looking at – might be the answer, might work... with [Labour] having vowed to scrap it.”