Top Tory James Cleverly squirms when requested if he known as Rwanda scheme ‘bats***’

James Cleverly says he “can’t remember” if he ever described the Rwanda deportation deal as “batsh**”.

The new Home Secretary is claimed to have made the remark privately after the mission was put ahead – and this morning squirmed as he was requested if he denied it. In an interview with the BBC’s Charlie Stayt he mentioned: “I don’t remember, I certainly don’t remember saying anything like that.”

The declare in regards to the comment was made by Labour’s Yvette Cooper within the Commons yesterday after the Supreme Court torpedoed the Government’s flagship plan. Mr Cleverly described it as “Parliamentary theatre” as he tried to deflect a query in regards to the remark.

Yesterday Ms Cooper informed MPs: “I don’t believe the new Home Secretary ever believed in the Rwanda plan. He distanced himself from it and his predecessor’s language on it. He may even on occasion have privately called it ‘bats***’.”

Asked about it once more on Sky News, he mentioned: “I don’t recognise that phrase, and the point that I’ve made, and the point I made at the despatch box, is that the Rwanda scheme is an important part – but only a part – of the range of responses we have to illegal migration.”

Ministers are desperately scrambling for methods to salvage it after high judges dominated it isn’t a secure place to ship asylum seekers. Mr Cleverly mentioned a brand new treaty with Rwanda, which the Government claims will deal with the court docket’s considerations, is simply days away.

And the floundering Government desires Parliament to declare the African nation a secure nation so as to navigate across the blistering ruling. Rishi Sunak mentioned the Government will proceed to struggle for the mission, having already handed over £140million to Rwanda. Mr Cleverly mentioned the scheme might be resurrected quick – however would not decide to a timescale.

He refused to apologise for the amount of money splashed on the mission, telling LBC: “I’m going to be really clear on this. I make no apology at all for spending money protecting this nation. It is the primary function of government.

“We know that even before the first flight has taken off the Rwanda policy is having a deterrent effect. We interview people that have attempted to come here through illegal migration and we know that people have been dissuaded from coming to the UK because of the fear of Rwanda scheme.”

Mr Cleverly mentioned he’s anticipating a brand new treaty to be introduced swiftly. He informed Times Radio: “We’ve got a memorandum of understanding which we’re going to upgrade to a treaty. That can be done very, very quickly because we have been working on it for some time.

“And the Prime Minister has dedicated to creating certain that we get this emergency laws into the House shortly.” He continued: “The entire course of will not essentially be completed and dusted simply in just a few days, however the precise parliamentary course of might be that fast.”

Mr Sunak – who has promised to end small boat crossings – is facing fury from his own party, with backbencher Dame Andrea Jenkyns claiming at least six no confidence letters were being submitted yesterday. And sacked Suella Braverman, who lashed out at the PM in a furious poison pen letter, last night demanded a huge legal shake-up to force flights to go ahead.

Facing MPs in the Commons, Mr Sunak refused to apologise for wasting taxpayers’ cash and resisted plans to bin the project for good. In a tense PMQs face-off Labour chief Keir Starmer taunted him: “He’s wasted all his time on a gimmick and now he is completely nowhere.”

Top judges ruled there were “substantial grounds” for believing that asylum seekers sent to Rwanda would “face an actual danger of ill-treatment”. They said people could be forced back to their homeland, while also highlighting “deficiencies” in the country’s asylum system.

Nevertheless Mr Sunak stubbornly refused to give up on his flagship policy, although he refused several times to say if flights would take off before the next election.

He said a new treaty with Rwanda and new “emergency laws” would salvage the project, which was first announced in April last year. The PM told a Downing Street press conference: “We will take the extraordinary step of introducing emergency legislation.

“This will enable Parliament to confirm that, with our new treaty, Rwanda is safe. It will ensure that people cannot further delay flights by bringing systemic challenges in our domestic courts and stop our policy being repeatedly blocked.”

The decision amplified calls for the UK to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) – a cause championed by right-wing Tories including Ms Braverman.

But the ruling, delivered by high-ranking judge Lord Reed, makes clear this would have made little difference.

He said the ECHR was not the only international treaty that was relevant to the Rwanda case, adding: “There are different worldwide treaties which additionally prohibit the return of asylum seekers to their nations of origin with out a correct examination of their claims.”

The PM left the door open to abandoning the ECHR, saying: “I am prepared to change our laws and revisit those international relationships to remove the obstacles in our way.”

Moments later former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland mentioned it would not be smart to take action, stating: “Let’s put that one to bed.”