Rishi Sunak has said he will pass emergency legislation to allow deportation flights to Rwanda, following the Supreme Court’s ruling that his flagship policy was unlawful.

In a press conference at Downing Street, the Prime Minister said he accepted and respected the unanimous decision of the five judges, but that he disagreed with it.

He said he was “prepared to do what is necessary” to push ahead with the plan. 

The threat of deportation is a key plank in his vow to “stop the boats.”

READ MORE: Blow for Sunak as Supreme Court rules Rwanda policy 'unlawful'

The court upheld a ruling which found that there was a real risk of asylum seekers deported to Rwanda having their claims wrongly assessed or which could lead to “refoulement,” when someone is sent back to the country where they face persecution.  

The Prime Minister’s plan to get around the ruling is to agree new emergency ruling which would classify Rwanda as safe. 

A new treaty with Kigali would then commit them to not sending failed claimants to any other country in order to prevent refoulment.

However, sacked home secretary Suella Braverman has demanded that Mr Sunak bring in laws to block off the ECHR, Human Rights Act and other routes of legal challenge.

Taking to X, the site formerly known as Twitter, Ms Braverman said the judgment was “no surprise.”

She added: “Given the current state of the law, there is no reason to criticise the judges. Instead, the government must introduce emergency legislation.”

This should, she added, disapply both the ECHR and the Human Rights Act working as barriers would be central to any Bill, she said.

The Prime Minister is also facing wider unrest from his MPs.

The New Conservatives grouping of MPs said the judgment felt “existential” for the party, while Tory party deputy chairman Lee Anderson said ministers should “ignore the law” and start removing asylum seekers immediately.

He described the Supreme Court judgment as a “dark day for the British people” and said ministers should “just put the planes in the air now and send them to Rwanda”.

“It’s time for the Government to show real leadership and send them back, same day. I think we should ignore the law and send them straight back the same day,” he said.

In the Commons, Home Secretary James Cleverly resisted calls to withdraw from the ECHR and the International Refugee Convention, telling Tory MPs: “I don’t believe those things are necessary.”

He added that “national governments can’t just vote themselves out of international commitments” and as a former foreign secretary he knew they were “incredibly powerful tools as we try and do good around the wider world”.

However, speaking behind a “stop the boats” podium in No 10 as he set out his new strategy, Mr Sunak said if it became clear that "our domestic legal frameworks or international conventions are still frustrating the plans at that point" then he would be "prepared to change our laws and revisit those international relationships”.

READ MORE: Minister defends 'eye-watering' cost of 'immoral' Rwanda deportation plan

Taking to X, Humza Yousaf said the policy needed to be ditched.

“Not only is the UK Govt’s policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda morally repugnant, but it has now been confirmed as unlawful too," he said.

“The policy must be scrapped.

“We need a humane system that doesn’t leave asylum seekers stuck in destitution for years without the right to work.”

The Liberal Democrats said it was time for Home Secretary James Cleverly to “get on with fixing the broken asylum system.”

Alistair Carmichael, the party’s home affairs spokesman, said: “It was clear from the get-go that the Conservatives’ Rwanda scheme was destined to fail.

“Not only is it immoral, unworkable and incredibly costly for taxpayers — but the Supreme Court has confirmed that it is unlawful too."

Scottish Green MSP. Maggie Chapman said the plan was "vile and racist."

“This scheme may have been blocked, but it didn't happen in isolation. We need to dismantle the anti-immigrant policies and the hostile environment that has endured for far too long," she added.

Steve Smith, CEO of refugee charity Care4Calais, who was a claimant in the initial legal challenge, welcomed the judgment, calling it a "victory for humanity."

"This grubby, cash-for-people deal was always cruel and immoral but, most importantly, it is unlawful," he added.

Amnesty International said the Government must now focus on tackling the backlog of asylum claims.

Currently, there are 33,253 "legacy" cases still to be processed.

They are defined as applications received before June 28 2022.

The Government has pledged to clear the legacy backlog by the end of this year.

Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty's chief executive in the UK, said: “The deal with Rwanda – a country with a track record of serious human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, torture and the repression of free speech – was massively ill-conceived and cruel."