Rishi Sunak has suggested that flights to Rwanda carrying illegal migrants might not take off by this summer.
Speaking to the Commons Liaison Committee on Tuesday afternoon, the Prime Minister said that flights to the African country would only take place “once the legal process” has been worked through.
Home Office sources had previously briefed the Telegraph that ministers were “working towards getting the flights off by the summer” and that leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) would not be ruled out.
The Prime Minister was also quizzed on efforts to end the ongoing junior doctors pay dispute ahead of a planned four-day strike in April.
Mr Sunak said the industrial action called by the BMA could impact on the government’s waiting list target.
He declined to set out how much new funding will be made available for pay rises given to end strikes from NHS workers, saying he “doesn’t want to get in the middle of” negotiations between the Treasury and Department of Health and Social Care.