Rishi Sunak has yet again suffered defeat in the House of Lords as peers stubbornly demand changes to his flagship Bill.
Members voted by 240 to 211 to demand a new monitoring committee is required to consult the Government on whether Rwanda is safe. It comes amid fears the Government will force asylum seekers to the east African nation without steps in place to address a Supreme Court ruling.
The amendment was put forward by Lord Anderson of Ipswich. It means the controversial Safety of Rwanda Bill will yet again go back to the Commons tonight. Peers demanded Rwanda must not be treated as safe until the Home Secretary, having consulted an independent monitoring body, had made a statement to Parliament.
Lord Anderson told the House of Lords that Parliament had debased itself by pushing the Bill through. He said: "We are in the end game now. We will, this week, have a law that provides for the offshore processing and settlement of asylum seekers in Rwanda.
"Its benefits remain to be seen. It costs will be measured, not only in money, but in principles debased: disregard for our international commitments, avoiding statutory protections for the vulnerable, and the removal of judicial scrutiny over the core issue of the safety of Rwanda."
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But members of the House of Lords did not press for an exemption for Afghan nationals who helped British troops fight the Taliban. Earlier Tory MPs voted down the measure, but the Home Office later said that any asylum seeker who would qualify for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) would not be sent there.
The Government hopes new legislation declaring Rwanda is safe can get royal assent by the end of the week. Mr Sunak's Bill was put forward to get around a Supreme Court ruling last year, which saw top judges find the project was unlawful.
He insisted flights would take off "come what may" and sought to blame opposition peers for the delay. He said: "Enough is enough. No more prevarication, no more delay. Parliament will sit there tonight and vote no matter how late it goes. No ifs, no buts. These flights are going to Rwanda."
Describing the plan as an "indispensable deterrent so that we finally break the business model of the criminal gangs and save lives", Mr Sunak added: "Starting from the moment that the Bill passes, we will begin the process of removing those identified for the first flight. We have prepared for this moment."
The Prime Minister said an airfield was on standby and charter flights had been booked to take asylum seekers on the one-way trip. There has been speculation that the Home Office is struggling to find airlines to take part in the scheme. Even Rwanda's state airline, Rwandair, reportedly refused to get involved.
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