Civil servants may be able to bring legal action against the government over objections to the Rwanda asylum scheme.

The FDA, a trade union representing some civil service workers, is suing the government over the plans. They claim a direction to send asylum seekers to Rwanda would breach international law, which would leave workers in conflict with the civil service code.

The trade union, which has 20,000 members, has submitted an application for a judicial review over whether civil servants could ignore rulings by the European Court of Human Rights in implementing the controversial policy.

This potential roadblock comes as immigration enforcement have this week started detaining individuals identified as being suitable for removal to Rwanda.

The Home Office released a video showing officials arresting migrants and putting them in the back of police vans.

Human Rights lawyer, Adam Wagner, responded on X (Twitter) criticising the government for what he said amounts to a party political broadcast. He said: ‘These are not just migrants, they are asylum seekers who have not had their claims processed. They are potentially being deported to a country which is unsafe for asylum seekers but which Parliament has said by law is “safe”. And clearly being used for party political purposes.’

SNP MP Alison Thewliss described the film in Parliament as ‘fascist nonsense’, and glorification of ‘state-sponsored people trafficking plans’.

Following the passage of the Safety of Rwanda Bill last week, the flagship policy to outsource asylum decision-making to Rwanda will now commence. The Prime Minister said flights would be leaving for Kigali within 10 to 12 weeks.