In a severe embarrassment for the Labour government, two more scheduled deportation flights organised by the Home Office have taken off from UK soil completely empty, devoid of any migrants.
The flights, which departed on Tuesday, were intended to be a demonstration of Sir Keir Starmer's new 'one-in, one-out' immigration policy. This latest failure means a total of four scheduled removal flights have now left without a single person on board since the policy's announcement.
A Policy in Peril
Critics are now openly questioning the viability of the Prime Minister's central pledge to control immigration. The plan, designed to create a deterrent by ensuring one migrant is removed for every one that arrives, appears to be unravelling before it has even properly begun.
Whitehall sources have revealed that the government is struggling to secure agreements with destination countries. Furthermore, a wave of last-minute legal challenges from human rights lawyers on behalf of those slated for removal has successfully grounded the policy.
Mounting Political Pressure
The empty flights represent a significant political cost, both in financial terms for the taxpayer and in credibility for the Prime Minister. Opposition parties have seized on the news, labelling the situation a 'farce' and a 'symbol of a government in chaos.'
'This is a policy built on soundbites, not substance,' stated a senior Tory MP. 'The government promised control and competence, but all they are delivering is costly empty planes and a complete lack of grip on the situation.'
The continued disintegration of this flagship plan places immense pressure on Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who is facing calls to urgently address the House of Commons and explain the repeated failures.
What Comes Next?
With the policy in tatters, the government faces a critical juncture. Ministers must now decide whether to persist with a strategy that is proving logistically and legally fraught or go back to the drawing board entirely.
This ongoing crisis threatens to define the early days of the Starmer premiership, undermining a key pledge to the British electorate and raising serious doubts about the government's ability to manage the complex issue of immigration and border control.
