Home Secretary James Cleverly spent 拢165,000 on private chartered flight to Rwanda
The cash was paid out by James Cleverly's department so he could sign a new treaty with the African nation around the government's asylum seeker deportation plan.
Saturday 23 March 2024 06:28, UK
Home Secretary James Cleverly used a private chartered flight to visit Rwanda at a cost of 拢165,561.53 to the taxpayer, government documents have revealed.
The latest transparency data from the Home Office showed Mr Cleverly took the flight in December last year as he headed to the capital Kigali to sign a new treaty with the African nation around the government's asylum seeker deportation plan.
According to the document, 14 people were on the plane, with the Guardian reporting they included members of his private office, a small team of civil servants, a photographer and a BBC TV crew.
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The price of the trip has surfaced as the government continues to clash with the House of Lords to get its Rwanda plan put into law.
Last year, the UK Supreme Court ruled the policy - which would see people arriving in the UK illegally deported to the country - was "unlawful" as asylum seekers would be at "real risk" of being sent home to their countries of origin.
But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak came up with a plan to revive the scheme, including the signing of a new treaty to put into writing commitments from Rwanda over the safety of those deported there.
He faced a backlash from his own party when the bill came to the Commons, with many on the right wanting to toughen up the legislation and others from the more centrist wing of the Tories concerned it went too far.
But despite winning that battle, Mr Sunak remains at war with peers, who are seeking to amend the legislation before giving it the go-ahead.
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The bill had been expected to return to MPs next week, but Number 10 has delayed a further vote until after Easter - despite the government still being keen to get the flights off the ground in the spring.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "Stopping the boats is one of our top priorities. The cost of the asylum system could reach up to £11bn per year by 2026, and we make no apologies for pursuing bold solutions like our partnership with Rwanda to stop the boats and save lives.
"All government spend goes through thorough due diligence to ensure best value for money."