PM: RWANDA PLAN 'DEAD AND BURIED'

SIR Keir Starmer declared the Tories' flagship Rwanda plan "dead and buried" yesterday.

- David and Jonathan Walker

He revealed he had torn up the deal to send asylum seekers to the central African country in his first act as Prime Minister.

Hours after moving into 10 Downing Street, he instructed staff to abort any measures still in place. Sir Keir said bluntly: "I'm not prepared to continue with gimmicks."

He ordered all migrants held in detention centres ahead of deportation to be freed - to find there were only two. It emerged that 218 had been freed by Rishi Sunak's government.

The two migrants due to be sent to Rwanda will be released on bail within days.

Yesterday's announcement finally kills off a failing plan launched more than two years ago as a deterrent to stop illegal migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.

Champions of the plan say it was vital to stop migrants. But it has been held up for a total of 798 days by legal challenges, and bitter and drawn-out debates in Parliament.

Sir Keir said yesterday: "Look, the Rwanda scheme was dead and buried before it started. It has never been a deterrent."

Former PM Rishi Sunak had promised that the first flights would take off this month if the Conservatives won the election. But with the Tories ousted and a record number of Labour MPs elected, Sir Keir blasted the scheme he had pledged to stop "on day one". He said the likelihood of being sent to Rwanda had been "less than one per cent".

He added: "The chances were of not going and not being processed, and staying here, therefore, in paid-for accommodation for a very, very long time.