Sleeping bags at the ready... MPs and peers dig in for late-night showdown on ... trends now
MPs and peers are readying sleeping bags and camp beds tonight as they brace for a late-night showdown on the Rwanda Bill.
The Houses are doing battle after Rishi Sunak insisted Parliament must sit for as long as it takes to break an impasse on the crucial legislation.
Catering at Westminster is being kept open especially for the wrangling - set to be the first time in more than a decade that so-called 'ping-pong' has continued into the early hours.
The Lords again refused to back down last week, passing more amendments to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.
The Commons started the process of removing those changes this evening, paving the way for the legislation to be rapidly batted back and forth until one House folds or a compromise is reached.
MPs rejected two Lords amendments during voting in the Commons from 5pm, to send the Bill back to the upper House once again.
The Commons first voted 306 to 229, majority 77, to reject a Lords amendment aimed at ensuring Rwanda can not be treated as safe unless it is deemed so by an independent monitoring body.
MPs then voted 305 to 234, majority 71, to reject another change by peers, which proposed an exemption for agents, allies and employees of the UK overseas - such as Afghans who fought alongside the Armed Forces - from being deported to Rwanda
The refusal by MPs to accept the Lords amendments meant it was sent back to the Lords in its original form, with peers expected to again try and add changes later tonight.
MPs rejected two Lords amendments to the Rwanda Bill during voting in the Commons from 5pm, to send the legislation back to the upper House once again
The Commons' removal of Lords changes paved the way for the legislation to be rapidly batted back and forth until one House folds or a compromise is reached
In a round of interviews this morning, deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell upped the ante by branding peers' resistance to sending asylum seekers to Rwanda 'bordering on racism'.
Meanwhile, a member of the House of Lords has suggested that the government is being 'disrespectful' to Jewish politicians by holding the votes as Passover begins.
At a Downing Street press conference this morning, the PM stressed the government is already poised to send the first flights carrying Channel migrants to the African state - with an airfield is on standby, commercial charter planes booked, and courts teed up to deal with challenges.
But Mr Sunak admitted that deportations are unlikely to begin for another 10-12 weeks. That would mean July - later than his previous timetable of 'Spring', with Mr Sunak complaining that Labour has been 'blocking at every turn'.
'We will start the flights and we will stop the boats,' he said, suggesting there will be a 'regular rhythm' once the flights are up and running.
Rishi Sunak told a press conference in Downing Street he is ready to make MPs and peers sit through the night to break an impasse on the crucial legislation
Mr Sunak is expected to deliver a stern message to peers this morning that his patience has run out, with his pledge to 'stop the boats' on the line. Pictured, migrants crossing the Channel last month
Former minister Tim Loughton is among the MPs preparing to stay up all night voting for the Bill.
He told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme: 'I have got the sleeping bag ready...
'I am frustrated, I have no problem with sitting through the night to get this legislation through.
'There is a hard core led by Labour in the House of Lords who are trying to frustrate this whole legislation without any credible alternative that would deal with those people coming here without any credible asylum claim who cannot be returned to their home country.
'It is incumbent on them to say what they would do and they haven't, so let the legislation through and let's see how it works.'
One senior peer told MailOnline they were determined to stay 'hydrated and fed' as the drama unfolds.
Speaking in the Lords, Government chief whip Baroness Williams of Trafford acknowledged the 'frustration' felt by peers at the timetabling of the controversial legislation given the 'less than adequate notice' and coming on the first day of the Jewish holiday of Passover.
She said: 'May I thank all members in advance for their patience.'
Lady Williams also thanked catering staff 'who have already made swift provision for services beyond 10pm should peers and staff need them'.
Setting the stage for the showdown this morning, Mr Sunak : 'Enough is enough. No more prevarication, no more delay. Parliament will sit there tonight and vote no matter how late it goes. No ifs, no buts. These flights are going to Rwanda.'
Describing the plan as an 'indispensable deterrent so that we finally break the business model of the criminal gangs and save lives', Mr Sunak added: 'Starting from the moment that the Bill passes, we will begin the process of removing those identified for the first flight. We have prepared for this moment.'
Outlining his plans for implementing the policy once the law is in place, Mr Sunak said: 'To deal with any legal cases quickly and decisively, the judiciary have made available 25 courtrooms and identified 150 judges who could provide over 5,000 sitting days.
'The Strasbourg court has amended their rule 39 procedures in line with the test set out in our Illegal Migration Act. And we've put beyond all doubt that ministers can disregard these injunctions with clear guidance that if they decide to do so, civil servants must deliver that instruction and most importantly, once the processing is complete, we will physically remove people.
'And to do that, I can confirm that we've put an airfield on standby, booked commercial charter planes for specific slots and we have 500 highly trained individuals ready to escort illegal migrants all the way to Rwanda, with 300 more trained in the
