When it comes to Rwanda, what is Sunak counting as a ‘success’?

So Rishi Sunak has at last managed to get his appalling, immoral, probably illegal – and almost certainly ineffectual – Rwanda manoeuvre through parliament.

He claims that it will “stop the boats”.

Would it be unreasonable to ask what he has decided is the criteria for success? How much of a reduction in attempted Channel crossings would he see as a victory? And how soon? If it’s less than 50 per cent – or even 75 per cent – would it be regarded as a failure?

As he’s sufficiently confident of the outcome to have already spent billions of taxpayers’ money on the scheme, there’s no reason for him to be coy about sharing his expectations with us... is there?

Susan Alexander

South Gloucestershire

Sunak is fighting a losing battle – but at this point, why? After all, once he steps down as PM, I’m sure he will author a very popular book, hold well-paid dinner talks and have a seat on the board of all kinds of businesses whose shares improved under his leadership. He will get plenty of his friends into the Lords (worth a million, easily), and he will likely, just like Tony Blair, become a Knight of the Garter.

The sooner he does step down, the better. His current method of leadership is divisive for our country.

Wendy Stokes

London

We heard it from the lips of our own prime minister. But if that is the case, how is the new bill meant to act as a deterrent?

After all, now the government has officially declared Rwanda is a safe place, those seeking to cross the Channel in small boats, fleeing from war and persecution, will likely only be more incentivised to make the journey; with a safe haven all but promised on the other side.

Whoops – maybe not what Rishi intended at all.

Tony Shephard

Norwich

The US Senate is finally starting to address a serious problem: social media. However, as it considers a potential ban on TikTok, it seems the reasoning appears to be more because of the company’s links to China.

The only shortsighted thinking here is that they didn’t include the rest of the social media web as well. Many platforms are now practically devoted to bullying and spreading misinformation, all for the profit of their shareholders.

Cat videos don’t balance the scales.

It is odd that something which had so much potential for positive use has been misused by a small but powerful group that might be better off leaving their dingy basements and heading out into the sun for a walk.

We need to spread a positive message, not online, but from person to person.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Melbourne

Rishi Sunak has just announced the biggest increase in defence spending in a generation, putting the arms industry on a "war footing".

The PM who tells the junior doctors there’s "no money" to pay them a decent salary, is promising to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of the UK’s GDP.

Sunak argues this extra £75bn is needed to protect the UK from “an axis of authoritarian states”. Yet Sunak leads a government that has passed laws restricting the public’s right to take effective protest and strike action.

He has forced a bill through parliament declaring Rwanda a “safe” country so he can send asylum seekers to a purpose-built camp there, despite the High Court declaring the plan illegal.

His government has already imprisoned refugees in the floating prison that is the Bibby Stockholm.

As far as I am concerned, Sunak’s government is part of the “axis of authoritarian states”. If we want to defend freedom in the UK, we have to kick out the Tories.

Sasha Simic

London

Rishi Sunak is quite right: living off the public purse while making no positive contribution to society has unquestionably become a lifestyle choice for some, and it’s high time they were given the wake-up call that they so richly deserve.

I think most people would be happy to see these spongers forced out into the real world and made to find themselves proper jobs – if, indeed, they’re still capable of doing anything positive or productive.

Julian Self

Milton Keynes