James Cleverly, the home secretary, sparks controversy with his £165,000 private chartered flight to Rwanda.

According to official government records, Home Secretary James Cleverly visited Rwanda on a private chartered aircraft that cost the taxpayer an astounding £165,561.53. The trip was intended to sign a new pact with the African country pertaining to the deportation strategy of the government for asylum seekers.

According to the Home Office’s openness statistics, Mr. Cleverly boarded the trip in December of last year with the destination being Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. There were fourteen people in the entourage, including a small group of public servants and personnel of his private office.

This disclosure coincides with continuing disputes between the House of Lords and the administration regarding the enactment of the Rwanda plan. The scheme, which entails sending individuals who enter the UK illegally back to Rwanda, ran afoul of the law last year after the UK Supreme Court declared it to be “unlawful,” citing dangers to those seeking refuge.

With the goal of reviving the program, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has been pressing for a new treaty with Rwanda to address safety concerns for people who have been deported. But there has been opposition to the law even within his own party, with varying views on how strict it should be.

Even while the government has won some early skirmishes in the Commons, peers in the House of Lords continue to oppose it, attempting to change the law before it is approved. The bill has been postponed until after Easter, raising concerns about the government’s timeframe for executing the deportation flights. MPs are due to revisit the subject next week.

A Home Office spokesman responded to criticism by underlining the government’s resolve to stop unlawful immigration and pointing out the skyrocketing expenses associated with the asylum system. They justified the purchase by claiming that all government expenditures is closely examined to guarantee value for money.

The uproar surrounding the government’s asylum procedures and spending has escalated with the revelation of Cleverly’s lavish vacation.