Sunak wants controversial Rwanda asylum flights this spring after seeing off Lords’ challenges

British prime minister Rishi Sunak (Carl Recine/PA)

Richard Wheeler and David Hughes

British prime minister Rishi Sunak has maintained hopes of spring flights carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda as the British government overturned all attempts by the House of Lords to change to its deportation legislation.

The government saw off 10 amendments from peers to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, after a minister had accused the Lords of trying to “wreck” the legislation.