The British people expect us to stop the boats and we need to be allowed to deliver on this.
Therefore I was dismayed at the Court of Appeal's decision today. Even though the Government won on 4 out of 5 grounds - and crucially had confirmation the policy itself is legal - the Court found (in a 2-1 majority) that concerns over Rwanda's own asylum system meant deportations could not go ahead.
I support the PM & the Home Secretary in seeking to appeal this decision.
Speaking in the Commons today, I asked the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman:
"I believe this is fundamentally a question of democracy. The British people have repeatedly voted for control of immigration and my constituents in Newcastle-under-Lyme expect us to stop the boats and I’m actually grateful for a lot of the confirmation in the ruling today that the policy itself is legal.
"So will the Home Secretary do whatever is necessary, whether legally through appealing the ruling, whether through getting a memorandum of understanding with the Rwandans on the one point that the Government lost on, or through legislation in this House, to make sure we do deliver on that promise and stop the boats?"
Replying to me, the Home Secretary said: “Well my honourable friend speaks for the British people in his powerful question there. My answer is simple, yes.”