The government has stepped up the pace to get its Rwanda scheme off the ground – and further details are emerging about how the process will actually work. In an updated ‘equality impact assessment’ published on GOV.UK yesterday, the Home Office admits that MPs may be able to block individual deportations:

“It is a long-standing parliamentary convention that MPs’ representations suspend removal until a case has been considered and a response issued to the MP. In practice, representations are responded to swiftly and do not usually delay removal. Given the novel nature of the SORB, we may expect future MEDP cases to attract significant attention from MPs, and responders may be overwhelmed by cases, causing a delay or removal to be cancelled pending a response. The process for responding to MPs’ representations will continue as usual in Op Vector cases, and responders have put in place a process to ensure responses are issues promptly.”

In other words, lefty MPs could kick up such a fuss in the media and gum up the Home Office process that the removals are delayed. Guido wonders whether now would be a good time for parties – such as Labour – to instruct their MPs not to interfere…