Sunak welcomes Kagame to No 10 as Rwanda scheme hits fresh snags

Rishi Sunak has welcomed the Rwandan president to Downing Street amid signs that ministers are struggling to find an airline or housing in Kigali to carry out their flagship deportation plan.

The meeting on Tuesday was overshadowed by the former home secretary Suella Braverman’s criticism of fallen expectations over the policy, which aims to forcibly send people seeking asylum 4,000 miles to central Africa.

Reports have also alleged that properties in Kigali earmarked for the stalled deportation scheme have instead been sold to local buyers.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the two men discussed the “pioneering UK and Rwanda migration and economic development partnership”.

Braverman said the government’s asylum plan was floundering, adding: “I’m disappointed to read that expectations have fallen and that the Rwandans are now selling off some of those properties.

According to latest Home Office figures, 82 people were detected crossing the Channel in small boats on Monday, taking the total so far this year to 5,517.