Keir Starmer ends Rwanda scheme on first day as PM, insider claims

The new Government has set illegal migration as one of their key priorities.

Boris Johnson was the first to announce the Rwanda scheme, which was continued by Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak.

However, one Labour insider says the campaign is now "dead".

"If Rishi Sunak thought Rwanda would work, he wouldn’t have called an election," they told The Telegraph.

"It was a con. By calling an election, Sunak was acknowledging that fact."

The scheme can be terminated under a break clause - with the UK not required to make any more payments from the date it is triggered.

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So far, Britain has paid £270million as part of the deal.

Britain would save another two £50m payments in 2025 and 2026 if the contract was terminated.

However, the UK would still be required to pay for any migrants who had already been relocated.

There have been no deportations, but two failed asylum seekers went to Rwanda voluntarily under a separate agreement that saw them offered a £3,000 to go.

Yvette Cooper, the new Home Secretary, said on Friday that one of the first duties of government was to "keep our borders secure".

Cooper said she would prioritise a new Border Security Command in her early meetings with officials.

During his first speech as Prime Minister, Starmer said he promises a "government of service", adding that his approach to leadership would be "unburdened by doctrine".

GB News has approached the Labour Party for comment.