Lord Sharp says Rwanda deal critics are 'missing the point' as he says the £240million spent is less than what they have already paid for hotels

The £240million spent on the Rwanda deal is equivalent to just 30 days of housing Channel migrants in hotels, a minister insisted yesterday.

Lord Sharpe told peers that critics of the sum are 'missing the point', as asylum costs spiral by billions of pounds a year.

He said that when the removals programme is up and running, taxpayers will acknowledge it is 'good value for money'.

The minister was speaking after the Mail revealed yesterday that an extra £100million payment to the east African nation was signed off earlier this year.

It came on top of previous sums totalling £140million, leading critics of the scheme to dismiss the Rwanda deal as a 'costly farce'.

But Lord Sharpe told the House of Lords: 'Those focusing solely on the cost of the partnership are somewhat missing the point. The simple fact is the daily cost of hotels for migrants is now £8million. The cost of the UK's asylum system has roughly doubled in the last year and it now stands at roughly £4billion.

'The payments made so far to Rwanda represent about 30 days of hotel costs.'

He added: 'When this plan succeeds, as I think it will, I think British taxpayers will acknowledge it actually represents good value for money.'

It came as a blame game erupted over the latest £100million sum, with Downing Street saying it had been signed off by former home secretary Suella Braverman.

Asked who approved the money, which was sent in April, a No10 spokesman said: 'The Home Secretary.

'This is as set out in the original memorandum of understanding with Rwanda.'

Responding to No 10's remarks about the £100million payment being agreed by Mrs Braverman, an ally of the former home secretary said: 'It was approved by the Prime Minister. Of course it was. The Home Office doesn't just go sending millions to foreign governments without top-level sign-off.'

Downing Street rejected any suggestion that PM Rishi Sunak had misled MPs over the cost of the Rwanda scheme, for which another £50million will be paid in April.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'The Tories have wasted an astronomical £290million of taxpayers' money on a failing scheme which hasn't sent a single asylum seeker to Rwanda.'

The Home Office's top civil servant was yesterday handed a dressing-down by two senior MPs over the latest payments.

Labour backbenchers Dame Meg Hillier, the chairman of the Commons' public accounts committee, and Dame Diana Johnson, who is the chairman of the home affairs committee, accused Sir Matthew Rycroft of failing to reveal details of the Rwanda costs when he was questioned about them over the last fortnight. They said they had called in government auditors over the matter.