The timing of the announcement on the Rwanda scheme, which is estimated to cost more than £500m over five years, has prompted scorn Labour.
A party source said: “Is there any more blatant sign that [former immigration minister Robert] Jenrick was right about this all being symbolic before an election than this mad flurry of stories?
“The core substance though hasn’t changed. This is a tiny scheme at an extortionate cost and the criminal gangs will see through this con.”
Downing Street categorically denied this. The prime minister’s press secretary said: “From our part there isn’t really a day to lose when people are dying in the Channel having been induced into boats by gangs.
Yeah, it would be interesting to know why the Guardian did it.
If you Google it, you find a number of news articles (and us) and those pieces have all had the phrase removed. Something has gone wrong somewhere - it might be they were scammed by a fake Home Office spokesperson.