Rwanda will not guarantee the number of migrants it will receive from the UK

Pressed to make a commitment on how many homes could be given in Rwanda, Ms Makolo said: “We are ready.”

But it did not provide any guarantees that it would be able to receive the 52,000 people the United Kingdom wanted to send, and merely said that the number would be “thousands.”

Ministers have repeatedly said they want the idea of ​​being sent to Rwanda to act as a deterrent to those trying to come to the UK.

But Ms McCullough said Rwanda had been “unfairly attacked”.

“Living in Rwanda is not a punishment,” she added. “It is a beautiful country, including the weather.”

Transport Secretary Mark Harper also appeared on the show and was asked if the UK government had a backup plan.

Although he did not answer directly, Harper said the government had “a plan to start flights in 10 to 12 weeks which the Home Office is working on.”

Mr Harper added: “We want a steady rhythm of flights to Rwanda during this year.

“We will continue to work closely with Rwanda on the partnership agreement we reached, which includes all the guarantees that people want to see.

He added: “I think if you can create a deterrent system through these flights, you will break the business model of organized crime groups who smuggle people through the very dangerous waterway of the English Channel.”

Labour’s Pat Macfadyen told the program he believed the government would succeed in operating flights to Rwanda, but he believed it would not solve the migration problem or provide value for money.

He refused to cancel the plan on the first day of the Labor government, should it win the next general election, but reiterated that the party did not want to continue with Sunak’s policy.

Mr McFadden also said he doubted Labor would act to return any asylum seekers to the UK.

At least nine people, including seven children, were killed in the raid on Mugunga camp in the eastern city of Goma on Friday.

The United States blamed the Rwandan army and the M23 rebel group.

Ms. McCullough said the US government “was too quick to blame us without looking, without investigating this incident, without speaking to the people affected.”

“This is something we completely reject and it is unfair,” she added.