Flights to Rwanda, relocating illegal migrants from the UK, will not be taking off before the general election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said.
Following the announcement of the election date on Wednesday, Mr. Sunak kicked off his campaign tour, speaking about the government’s key policies.
One of these—stopping illegal migrants from crossing the English Channel on small boats—saw the government propel the Rwanda bill through Parliament to become law in April.
The government then announced plans to get migrant relocation flights off the ground in July.
“If I’m elected, we will get the flights off. The preparation work has already gone on,” Mr. Sunak said.
The government sees its Rwanda plan as a deterrent to stop small boat crossings, but the opposition believes that the policy will not work.
Labour Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer has previously said that if he comes to power, he will replace the Rwanda policy and instead create a new multi-agency Border Security Command to tackle people smuggling gangs.
Reacting to Mr. Sunak’s comments on the timing of Rwanda flights, Sir Keir said, “I don’t think he’s ever believed that plan is going to work, and so he has called an election early enough to have it not tested before the election.”
Summer Election
Last week, the Home Office said that the government “must get flights to Rwanda off the ground as soon as possible” to stop the “unacceptable number of people who continue to cross the Channel.”In the light of Mr. Sunak’s comments, the migrant relocation plan may not see the light of day if Tories fail to secure a victory on July 4.
A summer election falls on the generally busiest period in small boat crossings to the UK. In the past two years, the summer months saw increased numbers of migrants trying to reach Britain via small boat journeys across the Channel.
An increased small boat influx would not paint a favourable picture for the Conservatives, who have been actively pushing illegal immigration issue as one of its key priorities in the run up to the election.
In another interview, Mr. Sunak said that calling for a summer election was not a decision guided by economic forecasts of an inflation hike during the summer.
Speaking to BBC “Breakfast,” the prime minister said: “No, that’s not the real reason. And when it comes to the economy, of course I know there’s more work to do. I know that people are only just starting to feel the benefits of the changes that we’ve brought.”
“And for some people when they look at their bank balance at the end of every month it will still be difficult, but we have undeniably made progress and stability has returned.”
The Conservatives succeed in delivering on their promise to bring inflation down from a historical high of 11.1 percent at the time of Mr. Sunak taking office as prime minister.
April data showed that inflation hit its lowest level in almost three years, dropping to 2.3 percent. However, interest rates remain high and the lowered inflation will take time to translate into financial relief for families.
“This is about more than lines on a graph–families are still worse off,” said shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves. On Wednesday, she vowed to “deliver economic stability,” if she becomes the next chancellor.
Elsewhere, leaders of Reform UK, Liberal Democrats, the Green Party, the Workers Party of Britain, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru and the True and Fair Party–have all launched election campaigns and plans to visit constituencies across the country.
The Electoral Commission has called on all campaigners “to engage respectfully and constructively with opposing viewpoints.”
