It is understood a second flight could take off within weeks, despite the fact that a full high court hearing into the government’s plans for Rwanda does not start until July 19. Home Office sources said they would not comment on operational matters or speculation. During an earlier high court hearing, the charities Detention Action and Care4Calais, the PCS union which represents around 80% of Home Office Border Force personnel, and several individual asylum seekers threatened with removal to Rwanda unsuccessfully submitted an urgent application to the judge to stop the first flight, which was due to depart on June 14. The flight was then grounded following an 11th-hour interim intervention by the European Court of Human Rights. During the hearing, the judge in the case, Mr Justice Swift, asked Home Office counsel Mathew Gullick QC if the Home Office planned any further flights to Rwanda in the near future. Gullick replied: “The Home Office intends to make arrangements for further flights this year. There may be another flight scheduled between now and July. It will require approval from the Rwandan government.” The organization Stop Deportations posted a message on social media on June 24 stating: “We have heard that the Home Office has started detaining dozens of people to deport them to Rwanda.” After the European court’s interim measure fixed the June 14 flight, Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was disappointed by the legal challenge, criticized the ECtHR’s decision and said the policy would continue. “We will not be deterred from doing the right thing and implementing our plans to control our nation’s borders,” he said. “Our legal team is reviewing every decision made on this flight and preparation for the next flight begins now.” It is understood that the Home Office has submitted proposals to the European court to overturn the interim order. When the Guardian asked the European court about the process when considering such submissions, a spokesman said: “An interim measure decision can be reviewed at the request of one of the parties. An interim measure is usually lifted only if the court is satisfied that there is no immediate risk of irreparable harm to the applicant. This test would normally be satisfied in a deportation case if either a) there was no imminent risk of removal or b) the court was satisfied that if removed, there would no longer be a real risk of irreparable harm.’ A Home Office spokesman said: “We remain committed to our world-leading migration partnership with Rwanda, which will see those who arrive dangerously, illegally or illegally in the UK resettled to rebuild their lives. This is vital to prevent the loss of life in the Channel and break the business model of people smugglers. Preparations for the next flight are underway.” Home Office sources added: “No court has ruled that this cooperation is illegal, and that includes the European Court of Human Rights.”
