Another day, another blow to Rishi Sunak's plan to send illegally arrived migrants from the UK to Rwanda. Except this one seems strangely self-inflicted.
At a Lobby meeting today, the Prime Minister's official spokesman refused four times to say whether the longstanding target of flights starting in spring will be met.
This was news. Afterall, when Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda, visited 10 Downing St on Tuesday last week a spokesman for Sunak made clear that the target then was that the first flights will take off by the end of spring.
This spring timescale was backed by Kevin Saunders, former Chief Immigration Office at Border Force on GB News as recently as yesterday, allowing deportation orders to be processed in the courts, given that Spring officially ends on June 21.
Another day, another blow to Rishi Sunak's plan to send illegally arrived migrants from the UK to Rwanda. Except this one seems strangely self-inflicted
PA
Yet fast forward nine days and Number 10 was now refusing to commit to the Spring deadline, instead saying that it would reassess the timing of the first Rwanda flights after the necessary legislation has got through Parliament.
That won't be settled until Monday next week at the earliest when MPs in the Commons will consider attempts by peers to stop Afghan intrepreters from being sent to Rwanda and to require a regular check on whether the country is safe.
This will be the fourth iteration of an interminable process known as 'ping pong' as the Commons seeks to exert its primacy over the Lords.
All being well - if Parliament finally approves the plan - the Safety of Rwanda Bill should become law on Thursday next week, a week later than planned.
So what has changed? Is it credible for the dropping of the spring deadline to be pinned on a week's delay forced on ministers by the Lords?
Not for me. Ministers have had plenty of time in recent weeks to push the Safety of Rwanda Bill through Parliament, but apparently seemed to be relaxed about its progress.
Don't forget the Bill facilitating the flights was described as "emergency legislation" when Sunak first produced it last November.
Since then it has proceeded at an unhurried pace compared with, say, anti-terror legislation which can be passed through Parliament in a handful of days.
An opportunity to force it through the Lords before Easter was never taken. Sunak needs planes bound for Rwanda to start to take off well in advance of the next election to make it harder for a new Labour government to axe the scheme.
I suspect Sunak and his whips will be regretting not forcing the pace on the Rwanda legislation when they had the chance, months ago.
