When Boris Johnson and Priti Patel first launched the Rwanda scheme, in the Spring of 2022, there seemed every chance that it could win the Tories the next election.
Despite the ‘Partygate’ furore taking chunks out of the Conservative poll rating and ushering in a febrile atmosphere, Labour was struggling to create a large and durable poll lead.
Exactly two years ago, the Politico website’s poll of polls had the Labour lead at just four points and Keir Starmer’s party was highly vulnerable to a Tory fightback based around the touchstone issue of tackling illegal immigration.
These days the poll gap is so vast that not even the most Tiggerish Tory optimist would dare talk about Rwanda being a potential springboard to victory. But equally it would be wrong to conclude that the spectacle of some planes being occupied by some failed asylum seekers finally taking off for Kigali would make no difference.
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