Is Rishi Sunak any closer to sending Channel migrants to Rwanda? How the ... trends now
The Government first promised to send Channel migrants to Rwanda as part of a 'world-leading' partnership with the African country more than two years ago.
But, despite being backed by all three Tory PMs who have occupied Downing Street since 2022, the multi-million pound scheme is still yet to get off the ground.
It has been bogged down in legal challenges and parliamentary wrangling, with plenty of Westminster drama along the way.
Here's the full story of the ongoing Rwanda ordeal for ministers...
2021
March 24: Home Secretary Priti Patel says she will 'consider all options' to offshore processing of asylum claims to third countries as she sets out plans to overhaul the immigration system.
2022
April 14: After a drastic increase in the number of people crossing the Channel, PM Boris Johnson announces a plan to deport migrants arriving in small boats to Rwanda for their claims to be processed, saying it would act as a 'very considerable deterrent'.
Ms Patel travels to Kigali to sign what she calls the 'world-first' agreement.
Priti Patel, then home secretary, signed the UK's deal with Rwanda during a visit to Kigali in April 2022
June 15: The first deportation flight to Rwanda is cancelled minutes before take-off after a ruling by a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
August 22: The Ministry of Defence says 1,295 migrants have made the crossing in 27 boats, which remains the highest figure for a single day.
December 19: The High Court rules the Government's Rwanda policy is legal but orders the cases of the first eight deportees to be reconsidered.
Campaigners later take the case to the Court of Appeal.
December 31: A record 45,755 migrants made the Channel crossing over the course of the year, according to Government figures.
2023
January 4: PM Rishi Sunak announces legislation to tackle the migrant crisis is one of five key priorities for his premiership as he vows to 'stop the boats'.
March 7: Home Secretary Suella Braverman tells MPs the Illegal Migration Bill will impose a legal duty to remove those arriving in the country illegally, barring them from claiming asylum in the UK.
March 10: Tensions mount as Mr Sunak defends the policy as 'the right approach', amid criticism from sports pundit Gary Lineker, which leads to a high-profile impartiality row at the BBC and numerous colleagues threatening to boycott Match Of The Day in solidarity with the presenter.
Rishi Sunak used a speech in January last year to announce legislation to tackle the migrant crisis is one of five key priorities for his premiership as he vows to 'stop the boats'
March 12: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt does not rule out the prospect of children being detained under the new plans, which would see those crossing the Channel eligible for asylum only in a 'safe' third country such as Rwanda.
March 13: The plan draws criticism from Tory former prime minister Theresa May, who says it is 'not enough' to send people to claim asylum in Rwanda and warns the UK is 'shutting the door' on victims of modern slavery.
March 14: A High Court judge rules that asylum seekers facing removal to Rwanda can appeal against Home Office decisions over alleged errors in the consideration of whether relocation poses a risk to their human rights, dealing another blow to the plan.
Suella Braverman, then home secretary, visited houses earmarked for migrants arriving from Britain during a trip to Kigali in March last year
March 17: Visiting Rwanda for the first time as Home Secretary, Mrs Braverman stands by plans to send migrants to the country despite them being embroiled in a legal battle. She says the £140million deal will be a 'powerful deterrent' to people trying to cross the Channel.
March 18: Mrs Braverman is given a tour of potential migrant housing after the land was purchased by the Rwandan government, ahead of a meeting with President Paul Kagame and her counterpart Vincent Biruta to discuss the deal.
June 26: Estimates in a Home Office assessment reveal £169,000 could be spent on every asylum seeker forcibly removed to a third country such as Rwanda.
June 29: Mrs Braverman lashes out at 'phony humanitarianism' hindering efforts to stop Channel crossings as the Government loses the latest legal battle after a Court of Appeal ruling.
July 13: The Government is given the go-ahead to take the legal battle over its Rwanda deportation policy to the Supreme Court.
July 20: Despite condemnation from campaigners, sweeping asylum reforms under the Illegal Migration Bill become law after being given royal assent and being made an Act of Parliament. But it is unclear when the new rules will come into force.
August 11: The number of Channel crossings since 2018 passes the 100,000 mark.
A group of people sit onboard an inflatable boat off the coast of Sangatte, northern France, before attempting to cross the Channel to reach Britain
September 26: Mrs Braverman uses a speech in the US to advocate for the United Nations Refugee Convention to be overhauled as part of wider efforts to stop small boats crossing the Channel – comments that are condemned by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
In other comments criticised by equalities campaigners, she says offering asylum to a person because they are discriminated against in their home country for being gay or a woman is not sustainable.
October 9: A three-day hearing starts at the Supreme Court on the Government's challenge to the Court of Appeal ruling that the Rwanda plans are unlawful.
November 13: Mrs Braverman is sacked after a series of inflammatory remarks, claiming sleeping rough is a 'lifestyle choice' and accusing police of bias over pro-Palestinian marches.
James Cleverly takes over as Home Secretary after being moved from the Foreign Office to make way for the return of former prime minister Lord David Cameron.
November 15: Five justices at the Supreme Court rule that the Rwanda deportation policy is unlawful. Mr Sunak vows to do 'whatever it takes' to stop small boat crossings.
The Government insists it has been working on contingency measures and promises a treaty with Rwanda within days
