A deeply controversial deportation flight to Rwanda will take off from Britain on Tuesday with immigrants who have sought refuge here, Cabinet minister Liz Truss said.
The Foreign Secretary was unable to say how many people would be on the flight, with some reports saying it could be as few as seven, or how much it would cost.
But she argued that the flight would establish the “principle” of flying people, who cross the Channel in small boats to get into Britain, to the African country where they can claim asylum.
The policy has been widely condemned by Church leaders, MPs, human rights organisations and reportedly Prince Charles in private.
The archbishops of Canterbury and York joined condemned the plan, describing it as “immoral” and saying that it “shames Britain”.
However, Ms Truss insisted it was legal and moral.
She told Sky New: “We are expecting to send the flight later today.
“I can’t say exactly how many people will be on the flight.
“But the really important thing is that we establish the principle and we start to break the business model of these appalling people traffickers who are trading in misery.”
She added: “There will be people on the flight and if they are not on this flight they will be on the next flight because we are determined to break the model of the appalling people traffickers and sort this issue out which has caused untold misery, including people dying in the English Channel.”
The first flight to Rwanda is set to leave the UK after a last-ditch legal bid to halt the deportation failed.
On Monday three Court of Appeal judges upheld a High Court ruling last week that the removals could go ahead, rejecting an appeal by two refugee charities and the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS).
Far fewer asylum seekers than originally planned are expected to be on the aircraft with individual appeals against deportation continuing this morning.
While 11 people were expected to be sent on the on the first flight, one of the charities that brought the court challenge said just seven still had live tickets to leave.
Care4Calais said that there are 24 individuals the Government wanted to remove whose tickets have been cancelled.
Three further legal challenges brought by individuals who face removal on the first flight are expected to be heard at the High Court on Tuesday.
The Government has acknowledged that further legal challenges are expected, but insisted it would press on with the policy.
