It is a humiliating setback for the British government.

Despite its determination to deport migrants to Rwanda to deter illegal arrivals in the UK, the first flight, scheduled for Tuesday June 14 evening, was canceled following last-minute appeals.

With its plan to send asylum seekers who arrived illegally in the United Kingdom to this East African country, more than 6,000 km from London, the government claims to curb illegal crossings of the Channel, which stop rising despite its repeated promises to control immigration since Brexit.

The UN-criticized plan is hugely popular with conservative voters as Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to restore his authority after escaping a vote of no confidence from his party.

But after legal action, and an emergency decision from the European Court of Human Rights, the plane specially chartered for hundreds of thousands of euros remained on the ground.

"Last ticket cancelled. NO ONE LEAVES TO RWANDA", tweeted the Care4Calais refugee support association which had announced previous cancellations of deportations.

Government sources confirmed to the British news agency PA that the planned plane would not take off due to last-minute interventions by the ECHR.

London not 'discouraged'

Originally, the authorities planned to expel up to 130 migrants (Iranians, Iraqis, Albanians or Syrians) in this first flight, a figure which has been reduced to a trickle following various individual appeals.

And in a last-minute twist, the ECHR stopped the deportation of an Iraqi asylum seeker on Tuesday evening, taking a temporary emergency measure.

A source of relief for associations defending the rights of migrants who consider the government's project cruel and immoral.

The Strasbourg-based ECHR ruled that the deportation of the Iraqi should be postponed until a British court has considered the legality of the bill, which is expected in July.

This is in particular to ensure that migrants can have access to fair procedures in Rwanda and that Rwanda is considered a safe country.

"We will not be discouraged from doing the right thing and implementing our plans to control our country's borders," Home Secretary Priti Patel said, adding that the government's legal team is "looking into every decision made on this flight and preparation for the next flight begins now"

With AFP

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