Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy at rally opposing the deportation policy

Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy joined hundreds of protesters outside the Home Office on Monday to oppose the deportation programme ahead of this week’s first flight.

She described the Downing Street policy as “state-sanctioned people trafficking”.

The first flight was planned for Tuesday. But a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights meant that the flight was cancelled until further notice.

Addressing protesters Ms Ribeiro-Addy, said it was effectively a violation of human rights.

She said: “Thank you so much to everybody that’s shown up today and continues to show up whenever we fight this racist immigration system,” she said.

“What Home Secretary Priti Patel and her Home Office don’t want to admit is that because of you, because of all of you right across the country, that keep fighting, that keep protesting, more often than not, people are allowed to stay in this country.

But Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the Government was determined to stick to the deportation policy, in spite of the many legal challenges and that it “would break people traffickers’ business models.”