Sending migrants to Rwanda will cost £169k EACH if judges give it the green light

SENDING migrants to Rwanda will cost the taxpayer a staggering £169,000 per ticket, the Home Office admitted today.

Shocking stats show the true cost of the scheme, where illegal migrants will be sent to a third-country if they try and get into Britain via a small boat.

It will also depend on if the plan gets the green light from Court of Appeal judges – which is expected back in the coming days.

However, they say it will likely save the taxpayer around £106,000 per person who is deterred from making the crossing – reducing pressure on public services, and not having to fork out thousands in pricy hotel fees.

That still means the scheme could cost us more than it will save overall.

It includes paying a third country like Rwanda more than £105,000, on top of £22,000 each for the chartered flight, another £7,000 for detention costs, and £1,000 for the Ministry of Justice’s legal fees.

Another £18,000 each will be spent on Home Office resources processing each case.

They will have to train up more civil servants, pay private firms cash to put people on the flight, and pay more out to defend legal challenges too.

The long-awaited impact assessment says that doing nothing would be even more expensive, however, costing £11billion a year if costs for hotels continue to go up – compared to around £3.5billion a year now.

The average cost of putting up an asylum seeker for one night is around £85 – but this will rise to £160 a night if the numbers continue to grow as much as they have.

The tough new migration plan needs to deter at least 37 per cent of arrivals before it breaks even, their assessment says.

If the 11,000 arrivals this year were all sent to Rwanda on the scheme, it would cost around £1.8billion.

But the estimates don’t take into account the cost of legal aid, appeals, and seizing phones from migrants, or those who will be allowed to stay here.

And they say their figures are only an estimate – and it is “not possible” to assess the exact cost of any of the plans.

The report also warns that more people could switch from small boats back to trying to sneak into the UK in lorries, or use other new methods instead.

John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance said of the news: “Taxpayers will be shocked by these sky-high costs. 

“At these prices voters will expect serious results when this scheme gets off the ground.

“Ministers must ensure that this project delivers for taxpayers.”

Suella Braverman’s landmark ‘Stop the Boats Bill’ will give her a legal duty to deport migrants who come here illegally, as soon as possible.

She said today: “Our Impact Assessment shows that doing nothing is not an option. 

“We cannot allow a system to continue which incentivises people to risk their lives and pay people smugglers to come to this country illegally, while placing an unacceptable strain on the UK taxpayer. 

“I urge MPs and Peers to back the Bill to stop the boats, so we can crack down on people smuggling gangs while bringing our asylum system back into balance.”

The Illegal Migration Bill is currently going through Parliament – and will come back to the Lords this week.