The Home Office tells a High Court judge that justice cannot be allowed to stand in the way of balancing the books:
In a letter to the duty high court judge sent on August 31, the Home Office says: “Because of the complexities, practicalities and costs involved in arranging such charters, it is essential that these removals are not disrupted or delayed by large numbers of last-minute claims for permission to seek judicial review.
“To ensure the viability of this operation and in line with enforcement operational instructions, the Home Office may decide not to defer removal in the face of a last-minute threat or application to seek judicial review.”
Have they considered setting a date by which all ‘last minute’ appeals for judicial review must be received. Once that has passed, the Home Office could then safely book all the charter flights it wants without worrying about the potential costs of cancellation.