General election latest: Hospital visit made Starmer ‘really angry’

MPs have criticised the government over its Rwanda scheme, saying the Home Office has “does not have a credible plan” for sending asylum seekers to the country 

The Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the department had “little to show” for the “significant sums of money” spent so far on the policy.

Its latest report, published today, says the Home Office has “continually failed to be transparent with parliament about how many people will be relocated, and the potential costs of the programme”.

PAC praised efforts to move asylum seekers out of hotels, but said the “assessment of the requirements for setting up alternative accommodation in large sites fell woefully short of reality and risked wasting taxpayers’ money”.

The new sites would not house “anywhere near” as many people as promised, it said.

“We are concerned that the Home Office does not have a credible plan for implementing the Rwanda partnership,” the report concluded.

Rishi Sunak has been ordered by a High Court judge to confirm when the first Rwanda deportation flight will take off, as the government was accused of providing “insufficient clarity” due to its changing position.

He has downplayed the chances of a flight taking off before the election on 4 July.