Overseas Territories minister Stephen Doughty was asked in an Urgent Question to make a statement on the Rwanda-style deal agreed between the UK and Mauritius to transport any small boat migrants who turn there to St Helena. Or, at least, until Starmer gives that away too…

Doughty made pains to say it was a “contingency” until Mauritius takes over responsibility for dealing with migrants. At which point Labour ceases to care…

“We are hugely grateful to the St. Helena government for their assistance… the UK government has agreed to provide one-off funding of £6.65 million to St. Helena to improve health and education outcomes and upgrade government infrastructure.”

The St. Helena government will be happy with that gratuitious funding. Edward Leigh later asked Doughty the obvious question: Why can’t we deport people who turn up here to St Helena? No answer to that one…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has weighed in on the EU’s hardening migration policy today by pushing for “return hubs” to be adopted by member states. She praised Italy’s recently activated return deal with Albania as a model to replicate and wrote in a letter ahead of a meeting of EU interior ministers this week:

“We should continue to explore possible ways forward as regards the idea of developing return hubs outside the EU, especially in view of a new legislative proposal on return.”

Under current proposals return hubs would house migrants served with deportation orders. Germany’s migration commissioner said last month that the bloc should explore third-country processing. The EU is reversing its previous reticence in order to follow the UK’s example – until Starmer scrapped it…

In a hilarious turn of events Germany is now proposing using asylum facilities built for Sunak’s Rwanda scheme to house migrants. That’s £318 million well spent…

Migration Commissioner Joachim Stamp says the EU should pursue third country processing in Rwanda thanks to the existing infrastructure. He points out: “We currently have no third country that has come forward, with the exception of Rwanda.” CDU members have already visited Rwanda to advocate their concurrent proposals to process migrants offshore…

Cleverly and Braverman have both used the news to attack Starmer for scrapping the policy. If the PM keeps up “re-aligning” with the EU he’ll end up reinstating it…

Sunak is on a whistle-stop visit to Vienna this morning to promote his border policy. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has said at a joint press conference that the UK is a “pioneer” for pursuing third-country removals with the Rwanda plan. He makes clear:

“Asylum proceedings should happen in safe third countries. The UK is therefore a pioneer for this model – a model that will be important for Europe as well. The Rwanda model will be a solution for us to have asylum proceedings in safe third countries and that’s something we need to put on the EU’s agenda as well… Asylum proceedings in safe third countries means the business model of promising people to get them within the borders of the EU or UK no longer applies, that promise can no longer be made if we have such procedures.”

Crucially Nehammer reveals that up to 15 other European states, namechecking Denmark, are also pushing for a Rwanda-style model. EU politicians have started to follow the wind on this one…

The Sun revealed that on monday the first Rwanda removal was carried out with a failed asylum seeker agreeing to fly to Kigali voluntarily. Under a scheme parallel to forced deportation he was given £3,000 and a seat on a commercial jet…

Some pundits are missing the point, which is that voluntary removals dispel the trendy idea that Rwanda is some sort of Black Hole of Calcutta – it’s just not Britain. Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch is on the airwaves this morning touting this as a success and points out that the deterrent effect is working already, as seen in the panicked reaction of the Irish government to an increase it is experiencing in Rwanda-cautious migrants. Meanwhile, “senior labour figures” want to keep the Rwanda plan going…

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…