HOME Secretary Suella Braverman has told the Tory party conference it would be her "dream" to see a photo of a plane taking asylum seekers to Rwanda on the front of the Daily Telegraph.
She said the controversial plan aimed at stopping illegal crossings of the English Channel was her "obsession".
“I would love to have a front page of The Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream, it’s my obsession,” Braverman said.
But Braverman admitted she did not expect to see any planes take off until after Christmas due to the policy being fought through the courts.
She added: "Unfortunately we have got to let that play out.
“[Starting by Christmas] would be amazing but if I’m honest I think it will take longer. We’ve got to come out of the legal dispute we are currently embroiled in.”
The first High Court challenge over the Rwanda deal was heard last month and the second will begin on Monday.
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Several asylum seekers, as well as the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union, Care4Calais and Detention Action, claim the policy - which saw the UK Government invest £120 million in the Central African state in exchange for Britain offloading asylum seekers arriving in the country by small boats or in the back of lorries - is illegal and risks the human rights of those sent there.
Refugees sent to Rwanda face the threat of torture and inhumane treatment, the claimants against the Home Office have argued, citing internal memos within the Government which highlighted human rights abuses in the country.
The PCS Union, which represents Home Office workers, is leading the case against the Government and said the Rwanda policy “is not only immoral and unlawful…it's unworkable too”.
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