He told a Downing Street press conference this morning: “The first flight will leave in 10 to 12 weeks. Of course that is later than we wanted but we have always been clear that processing will take time and if Labour peers had not spent weeks holding up the Bill in the House of Lords to try to block these flights altogether we would have begun this process weeks ago.” 

The Prime Minister said after that there will be a “regular rhythm” to the flights.

Mr Sunak revealed that the Government has put an airfield on standby for the flights to operate from and ministers have booked slots with commercial charter planes.  

“No ifs, no buts, these flights are going to Rwanda,” he said. 

His comments came as the Rwanda Bill returns to the House of Commons and House of Lords for a final day of wrangling. Mr Sunak said MPs and peers will debate and vote on the Bill today for as long as it takes for it to be agreed. 

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Conservative MPs on the right of the Tory Party will have listened carefully to Rishi Sunak’s words this morning as he repeated his hint that he could take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights if it blocks the Rwanda scheme.