ITV's Robert Peston has the second question, asking how Sunak rates his progress made on his pledge to "stop the boats"?

The prime minister replies that people will have to judge the progress for themselves, but says he is proud of what the government has done so far.

Sunak says the number of small boat arrivals went down by a third last year, which he adds "didn't happen by accident".

"It happened because we put a lot of work in and made a lot of decisions."

It's true that small boat arrivals went down last year - but crossings in 2023 were still the second highest on record. Take a look at the graph below:

Sunak goes on to say the UK has increased the number of illegal enforcement raids by 70%, started to close the bank accounts of "7,000 people who shouldn't be here", returned 20,000 people to their home countries, as well as signing new deals with France and Turkey to "smash the gangs".

Sunak adds that he believes the "only long-term solution to this problem is to have a deterrent", which he says is why the Rwanda scheme is necessary.

Image source, Pool

Questions are up now, and BBC political editor Chris Mason says Sunak has tried many things, but none has worked so far. Is it time for him to tell his party to "put a sock in it"?

The PM says his party is "completely united" about stopping the boats and his bill won an overwhelming majority last night.

Last year was difficult, he adds, because of Covid backlogs, and the war in Ukraine with its impact on people's bills.

But now, Sunak says, we're "pointing in the right direction" and have to stick with his "plan for a brighter future".

It is working, he continues, with inflation down and taxes cut.

Rishi Sunak says the Labour Party "simply don't get it" when it comes to the Rwanda bill.

He says their priority isn't stopping the boats but stopping the planes that will take asylum seekers to Rwanda.

"That's why we have to stick to our plan," the prime minister says.

Sunak ends his speech by saying the House of Lords "must pass this bill" to "take back control of our borders" and "defeat the people smugglers".

He says it is "time to start the flights" to Rwanda.

Image source, Pool

Rishi Sunak opens his statement by saying now his bill has passed there is only one question - will the opposition try to frustrate the will of the "British people".

"We have a plan and the plan is working," the prime minister adds.

He goes on to say the UK needs a "clear and effective deterrent", so if people come to the country illegally they will not be able to stay.

Rishi Sunak is now up in front of the media at Downing Street.

Stay with us as we bring you the highlights and analysis.

You can watch the briefing by pressing the play button at the top of this page.

Image source, Pool

Rishi Sunak is about to hold a press conference after his Rwanda bill got Commons approval last night.

The bill, which proposes to send some asylum seekers to the east African country to claim asylum, will now move to the House of Lords.

The news conference is expected to start at 10:15 GMT - stay with us.

Image source, Reuters

Under the government's proposals, some asylum seekers arriving in the UK would be sent to Rwanda to have their claims to protection processed during a five-year trial.

They would be able to apply for asylum in Rwanda. If successful, they would be granted refugee status there.

If not, they could apply to settle in Rwanda on other grounds, or seek asylum in another "safe third country".

But they would not be able to return to the UK. In effect, they would have been issued a one-way ticket.

"Anyone entering the UK illegally" after 1 January 2022 could be sent to the African country, with no limit on numbers, the government has said., external

But the proposals have been mired in legal and practical difficulties since being announced.

The first flight was scheduled to leave in June 2022, but was cancelled after legal challenges.

Ministers argue the Rwanda plan would deter people from arriving in the UK on small boats across the English Channel.

But when the scheme was first announced, the most senior civil servant in the Home Office said there was little evidence the plan would have a significant deterrent effect, external.

No asylum seeker has yet been sent to Rwanda, a small landlocked country, external some 4,000 miles (6,500km) from the UK.

Read the full story here.

Rwanda's President Paul Kagame said yesterday he would return money to the UK if no asylum seekers are sent to his country under his deal with the British government.

The UK has paid £240m to Rwanda, with a further £50m to come. So far, no asylum seekers have been sent to the country.

Asked why he was taking the money, Kagame said: "It's only going to be used if those people will come. If they don't come, we can return the money."

But later, Rwandan government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo said the country has "no obligation" to return any of the funds paid but if the UK requests a refund "we will consider this".

Read the full story here.

A leading Lord has said many in the House believe the integrity of the UK's legal system is "under attack" because of internal quarrelling in the Conservative Party.

Lord Carlile of Berriew told the Today programme that, while peers would not "thwart the government", the House of Lords has a responsibility to "protect the public" from abuses of legal principle.

The crossbench peer - previously a Liberal Democrat MP - said many believe that this is "illegitimate interference by politics with the law on an issue that can be solved in other ways."

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

After all the sound and fury from Tory rebels this week, Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda legislation has made it to the House of Lords without a single change.

Is "rebels" even the right word at this point? Perhaps "troublemakers" would be better.

In any case, there’s trouble ahead in the House of Lords, where peers of all parties and none have different concerns to those which were most prominent in the Commons.

On the red benches, the arguments are most likely to be about compliance with international law - and indeed the principle of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda that is at the heart of this policy.

In Downing Street this morning, the prime minister is likely to urge the Lords to pass this bill quickly and finally allow the policy to get off the ground.

But the parliamentary debates are just one part of this. Once the legislation is passed, the policy phase begins.

To put it another way: does this bill actually work? That’s the nub of the dispute Rishi Sunak has been having with his right-wing backbenchers.

He believes this will enable deportation flights to take off for Rwanda. They believe the planes will be grounded again by legal challenges.

Plenty outside the Conservative Party believe that even if planes do take off they will not work as a deterrent to those crossing the Channel.

And after the policy comes the politics.

Is this enough to turn around the Conservative Party’s dire opinion poll ratings? How much of a priority are immigration and asylum issues for the voters they have lost?

Or have many voters already made up their minds that it is time for a change, regardless of what the government does?

Home Office minister Chris Philp has told the BBC he does not share the "pessimism" of Tory former minister Jacob Rees-Mogg over the Rwanda plan.

Rees-Mogg said it was unlikely flights to Kigali would be running before the next election - which must be held by January next year.

But speaking to BBC Breakfast earlier, Philp said the government's target is for flights to the east African nation to begin by the spring.

"It will have a very powerful deterrent effect," he said.

Philp also rejected suggestions Conservative rebels only voted for the Rwanda Bill to avoid appearing divided ahead of the next general election.

"Overall there was near unanimity on the Conservative side that this bill as a whole made sense and represents a very significant step forward," he added.

The government may have succeeded in winning yesterday's vote in the House of Commons, but the battle is far from over for Rishi Sunak to pass his Rwanda plan.

The bill now goes to the House of Lords, where it is likely to face further opposition.

Even if approved by Parliament, there is the possibility of fresh legal challenges to the plan, which would further delay and possibly block any asylum seekers from being sent to Rwanda.

You can read more about yesterday's vote here, or watch this video of our political correspondent Peter Saull going through what happens next:

Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda in April 2022 as a deterrent for migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. He said it would undermine the business model of people smugglers.

It has since evolved into a big issue for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Here is a recap of the key dates of the plan.

• The first flight (with seven people onboard) was scheduled to depart in June 2022, but was cancelled after legal challenges
• In November 2023, the UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Rwanda scheme was unlawful
• A new Rwanda draft law was introduced to Parliament in early December 2023 to make clear in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country
• The bill passed the House of Commons late on 17 January 2024
• The legislation will likely be debated by the House of Lords in the next few weeks

The UK government says it has paid £240m to Rwanda so far and a further payment of £50m is expected in the 2024-25 financial year.

No asylum seekers have been deported to Rwanda.

The bill is now with the House of Lords where, unlike in the House of Commons, the government does not have a majority.

It's expected to face stiff opposition, with peers likely to try to change the bill to address concerns from some that it will breach international law.

Once the Lords have made their amendments it will then be returned to the Commons for approval.

But right-wing Conservative MPs have vowed to oppose any changes that weaken the proposals.

That could mean more battles for the government.

Image source, UK Parliament/PA

Welcome back to our coverage of the Rwanda bill, where we'll be bringing you reaction and analysis following last night's vote.

If you're just joining us, the government got its Rwanda plan over line unamended yesterday, following speculation of a major rebellion from Tory backbenchers which failed to materialise.

The bill, which aims to stop legal challenges against ministers' plans to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda, was approved by 320 votes to 276.

Only 11 Conservative MPs voted against the bill, out of dozens who had threated to do so. The bill could have fallen if about 30 Tories had voted against.

Among the high-profile opponents of the prime minister's bill was former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will speak later at a news conference, expected to be around 10:15 GMT.

We will bring you all the details of what he says, and analysis from our team in Westmintser - so stay with us.

We're pausing our live coverage now. Thanks for joining our updates on the key Rwanda bill vote.

It's been a long day in the Commons and a long awaited vote for Rishi Sunak's key bill, which is now headed to the House of Lords after passing the third reading.

• To read more about Sunak seeing off Tory rebels after MPs backed the Rwanda bill, look here
• For a breakdown of what the Rwanda plan entails, click here
• And to find out whether the new Rwanda bill work and what could stop it, look here

We'll be back tomorrow with more reaction and analysis. Stay tuned.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

The SNP has said the Conservatives’ bill which aims to block legal challenges to sending asylum seekers to Rwanda is “straight out of the right-wing extremist playbook”.

“People in Scotland woke up this morning to freezing cold temperatures, at a time when energy bills are sky-high, and the news that inflation had risen again, meaning everything from home insurance to food bills may have been pushed up,” the SNP’s home affairs spokesperson, Alison Thewliss said.

“Yet the Tories at Westminster have been fighting amongst themselves on how quickly they can ship some of the most vulnerable people in the world off to Rwanda, at huge expense to taxpayers and where they could face further human rights violations. Their priorities are all wrong.

“With Labour supporting the Tories over cutting migration and punishing those seeking safety in the UK, it’s crucial that Scotland continues to have a strong cohort of SNP MPs at Westminster making Scotland’s voice and values heard.”

The prime minister's official spokesperson has released a statement following the third reading majority.

“The passing of the bill tonight marks a major step in our plan to stop the boats," Downing Street said.

"This is the toughest legislation ever introduced in Parliament to tackle illegal migration and will make clear that if you come here illegally you will not be able to stay.

“It is this government and the Conservative party who have got boat crossings down by more than a third.

"We have a plan, we have made progress and this landmark legislation will ensure we get flights off to Rwanda, deter people from making perilous journeys across the channel and stop the boats.”

Legal migration minister Tom Pusglove tells the BBC the government is "really pleased" that the Rwanda Bill has completed its passage through the Commons and urged the Lords to "get on and deal with it" so it can become law.

Pursglove acknowledged there "are differences of opinions" within the Conservative party but insisted "there is a unity of purpose to get a grip" and "build on progress" already made to stop the boats

"It goes to Lords with a strong message from the elected house that we need action - people in the country want to see crossings across the Channel come to an end. This is a really important part of the jigsaw."

He insisted that the "robust plan" deals with "challenges and barriers" that had stopped flights taking off and "it is a piece of legislation that is in compliance with international obligations".

"We are going to make it work...we can't afford not to. We're spending £8m a day in the asylum system which is not sustainable...and when you hear about lives lost in the Channel.. there is a moral imperative to act."

The SNP leader has reacted to the Rwanda plan passing the latest key vote in the House of Commons.

Posting on social media, Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf said the Rwanda Bill is, in his view, "the most repugnant piece of legislation in recent history".

"It's a further demonstration Westminster's values are not Scotland's values," he wrote on X, external, formerly Twitter.

"Scotland has a proud history of welcoming those fleeing war and persecution.

"This legislation is not in Scotland's name."