THE passing of the Rwanda bill will progress government plans to ‘stop the boats’, says the Furness MP.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration Bill) cleared Parliament shortly after midnight on Tuesday after peers backed down, ending resistance to the scheme.

Preparations for the first flights to Rwanda will begin within days with asylum seekers who could be relocated being identified and potentially detained.

MP for Barrow and Furness Simon Fell said: “Passing this Bill means that we can get flights off the ground to Rwanda and progress the plan to stop the boats.

“It is very clear to me – having visited Calais, Paris, Brussels and met with Home Affairs ministers from across the globe on the subject – that without a deterrent in place, we simply will not stop this flow of people, each and every one of them enabled by a criminal gang.

“If people want a rational and fair immigration system then that means stopping people jumping the queue and destroying the business model of those criminals and people traffickers pedalling this dangerous trade. This Bill bolsters the plan to do just that.”

Charter planes are expected to leave for Rwanda in 10-12 weeks, with PM Rishi Sunak promising “multiple flights a month”, although minsters conceded numbers being sent to Kigali will be small at first.

Some £290 million has already been committed to the Rwanda scheme with a further £100 million earmarked over the next two years.

The cost of putting each migrant on a plane is expected to reach £11,000, while Rwanda will get £20,000 for each asylum seeker relocated there and a £120 million top-up once 300 have arrived.

Mr Sunak said: “The passing of this landmark legislation is not just a step forward but a fundamental change in the global equation on migration. We introduced the Rwanda Bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs who exploit them.

“The passing of this legislation will allow us to do that and make it very clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay. Our focus is to now get flights off the ground, and I am clear that nothing will stand in our way of doing that and saving lives.”