In the year since the UK Government signed a deal with Rwanda to send migrants who arrived in the UK “illegally” to the east African nation, nearly 45,000 people

have crossed the Channel and arrived in the UK. Of these, almost 5,000 have made the journey so far this year, despite a promised crackdown.

The figures were revealed as Chancellor Rishi Sunak admitted that his plans to prevent boats crossing the Channel “won’t happen overnight” and declined to promise that they could be completed by the next general election.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman had previously expressed her “dream” of seeing the Government’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda succeed, but this has been stalled by legal action, despite being ruled lawful by High Court judges. The deal has cost the UK at least £140m, with additional costs for official trips and the grounding of the first deportation flight due to legal challenges. The legality of the policy is still being challenged, with a four-day hearing scheduled for April 24. Photo by Mstyslav Chernov/Unframe, Wikimedia commons.