Migrants express delight as Sir Keir Starmer poised to scrap Rwanda scheme just as it was finally ready for take-off

The Labour Government is poised to scrap the Rwanda scheme just as it was finally ready for take-off, to the delight of migrants waiting to cross the Channel.

In a tent encampment in woodland near Dunkirk last night, migrants said it was 'amazing news' that the new UK Government will abandon the programme.

Loni, 17, from South Sudan, said: 'I've been here for seven months with my sister and her children, and all the time we've worried we could get sent to Rwanda.

'It's amazing news to hear that won't be happening any more.

'I'm happy now I know they will not be sending us back to close to home.'

Iraqi electrician Faris Mustafa, 52, said: 'I had been worried about being sent to Rwanda, so was considering returning to Poland, where I arrived in Europe, or to Turkey.'

Choppy conditions in the Channel have spared Sir Keir Starmer the embarrassment of seeing illegal migrants arriving during his first days in power.

Any backlog of migrants may attempt to cross early next week, raising stark questions about Labour's nebulous border policies.

The new Prime Minister yesterday promised 'secure borders' during his Downing Street speech, but during the election campaign vowed he would immediately dump the Rwanda scheme.

The new Government's paper-thin plan to combat small boats is likely to take months to set up, and Labour has failed to explain in detail how its proposals will stem the flow of migrants.

An inaugural Rwanda flight would have departed in the next few days had the Conservatives won in Thursday's poll.

Ironically, the latest challenge against the legality of the Rwanda scheme was thrown out by the courts yesterday morning.

The High Court dismissed a challenge by the FDA trade union, representing senior civil servants, which had argued part of the Rwanda scheme could have forced its members to breach the Civil Service Code.

It comes amid record arrivals across the Channel, with 13,500 in the first half of this year.

Labour's vow to scrap the Rwanda deal will waste three years' intensive work since the policy began to be drawn up in 2021, including multiple Acts of Parliament.

It also risks throwing away £290million of taxpayers' money already spent on the scheme, although in January Rwandan president Paul Kagame raised the possibility of a refund if no migrants were sent to his country.

Under the terms of the UK-Rwanda agreement the whole project can be cancelled simply by one of the governments giving three months' notice in writing.

Labour has pledged to set up a Border Security Command bringing together different parts of the Home Office - plus the security services including MI5 - to combat people-trafficking gangs.

Tories pointed out the new unit would be almost identical to what is already in place.

In addition, Labour has said it will seek new agreements with other countries - including France - to speed up the removal of illegal migrants.

So far, France has flatly refused to consider a returns agreement and it is likely to be even harder to secure a deal if the far-Right National Rally party maintains its lead in tomorrow's final round of the French national elections.