Government's own assessment suggests deportation policy will be expensive and may not deter migrants

The government's own economic impact assessment of their policy to deport migrants to safe countries suggests that it will be expensive in the short term and may not save money if it does not deter around four in ten migrants attempting to enter the UK.

The policy is currently being challenged in the courts and the government has not disclosed which countries they are negotiating with.

Labour argues that the assessment implies the government is "clueless" about the cost and deterrent effect of their policy and that the lack of legal approval for the Rwanda scheme and lack of negotiations with other countries could result in people being held in indefinite detention and a further increase in the asylum backlog.

The current system is expensive, complex and difficult to defend.