North East MPs have shared their views on the Government’s controversial Rwanda policy after the first flight destined for the African nation was cancelled on Tuesday (June 14) night.

The flight was grounded following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights at the eleventh hour on Tuesday.

The government had previously won legal challenges in the High Court and Court of Appeal from groups seeking to stop the flights.

Stockton South Conservative MP Matt Vickers told The Northern Echo: “It is disappointing that a foreign court has stopped the first flight to Rwanda, despite it being given the green light by our own domestic High Court, Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court.

"We must now seriously consider the option of repealing the Human Rights Act and replacing it with a British Bill of Rights, allowing us to control our borders, remove those with no right to be here and break up the business model of criminal gangs.”

Read more: Rwanda: Boss of North East asylum charity 'elated' flight cancelled

The policy has been met with opposition from campaign groups for being inhumane since it was announced by Home Secretary Priti Patel earlier this year.

Reacting to the news Mary Foy, City of Durham MP tweeted: ‘’The Government's ugly Rwanda plan is immoral and unworkable.

“We should celebrate this decision as a win for decency and humanity.

“Tomorrow the fight against the inhumane policies of this Government continues.”

Read more: How has the European Court of Human Rights grounded the UK’s Rwanda plan?

On Wednesday Home Secretary Priti Patel told the House of Commons she was ‘disappointed’ and ‘surprised’ the European Court of Human Rights had blocked the flight.

She told MPs: “This Government will not be deterred from doing the right thing. We will not be put off by the inevitable legal last-minute challenges.

“Nor will we allow mobs to block removals.

“We believe that we are fully compliant with our domestic and international obligations, and preparations for our future flights and the next flights have already begun.”

Giving details of the decisions made out of hours by the Strasbourg court, she said it had not ruled the policy was unlawful but "prohibited the removal of three of those on last night's flight".

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