Leaked documents show the Foreign Office has shortlisted more countries to which to deport migrants, as the < wipes tears > Safety of Rwanda Bill is set to receive royal assent

Britain has entered talks to replicate the Rwanda migrant deportation scheme with Armenia, Ivory Coast, Costa Rica, and Botswana, according to leaked documents that reveal the government's extensive search for another third-country deal.

Several South American countries including Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Brazil, and Colombia have also been approached but were viewed as less likely to be interested in what the government describes as a "third-country asylum processing deal".

A list of African countries including Cape Verde, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Angola, and Sierra Leone were put on a reserve list that would be approached if other targets failed.

Other African countries including Morocco, Tunisia, Namibia, and The Gambia "explicitly declined" to enter technical discussions.