GB News host Bev Turner has criticised the "embarrassing" progress of Rishi Sunak's Rwanda plan, as the first failed asylum seeker was flown to the country on Tuesday.
Following a lengthy battle to get the policy through Parliament, The Sun revealed that the first migrant had been flown to Rwanda, and paid the £3,000 offered to volunteers.
Discussing the development on GB News, Commentator Mike Parry said the news was "incredible timing", given the upcoming Mayoral election this week.
However, he admitted he has "huge admiration" for the Tory MPs who persisted in fighting for the Rwanda Bill to come to fruition.
Bev Turner said the first migrant to be sent to Rwanda is 'embarrassing'
PA / GB News
Bev was outraged as Parry said they can "now say we've got somebody in Rwanda", as she hit back: "They've got one! One person Mike, it's embarrassing!"
Parry then argued that the singular migrant leaving for Rwanda means "the seal is now broken and the system is up and running".
He told the GB News panel: "They got them out there without anybody knowing. So all the legal protests weren't able to be put into place.
"They did it behind the scenes. They got them out there, and they've only announced it now. If they announced it before and said 'we're sending this chap because he's volunteered', there would now be a huge court case."
Previous Rwanda deportation flights have been blocked by the ECHR
PA
Bev disagreed, noting: "Surely there won't be protests against voluntary deportation?"
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Former Labour MP Stephen Pound shared his thoughts on the Rwanda flight, responding: "The great thing here is that firstly, it's one person. Secondly, you can use a commercial airliner.
"And if you're trying to do that with 20 or 30 people, if you're going to deport one person at a time, we'll probably get this done in 230 years."
Host Andrew Pierce highlighted the ongoing row in Ireland, as migrants have begun to flee to the country through fear of being deported to Rwanda, claiming that it is starting to be "proving to be a deterrent".
When pressed on how Labour would deal with the issue, Pound replied: "It's a reciprocal arrangement. If we are going to allow home country deportations, then we'll have the same thing."
Stephen Pound said it could take '230 years' to deport migrants to Rwanda one by one
GB News
Parry hit back at Pound's remarks, adding: "France won't take back ours, so how does that work?
"Once this chap gets there and once the pride of Fleet Street get out there and start talking to him, and once he says, this is a wonderful life, I'm by the swimming pool and they're paying for me for three years, they'll be going there in droves."
Parry continued: "Labour are terrified of the Rwanda policy, even when it's looking like it's going to work, in case people think actually they've been rubbishing it all along."
Pound hit back, stating: "It is a ridiculous, expensive gimmick that has absolutely no long-term benefit whatsoever."
