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Some asylum seekers who cross the Channel to the UK will be given a one-way ticket to Rwanda, under new government plans.

The trial will involve mostly single men arriving on boats or lorries.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the £120m scheme would "save countless lives" from human trafficking.

Refugee organizations have criticized the plan as cruel, questioned its cost and impact, and raised concerns about Rwanda's human rights record.

In a speech in Kent, Mr Johnson argued action was needed to stop "vile people smugglers" turning the ocean into a "watery graveyard", adding the "humane and compassionate" plan was designed to break their business model.

He said he wanted to make clear to people arriving on the Kent coast that they were better off taking legal routes and that the new plan would "over time prove a very considerable deterrent".

Last year, 28,526 people are known to have crossed in small boats, up from 8,404 in 2020.

Around 600 people made the crossing on Wednesday, and Mr Johnson said the figure could reach 1,000 a day within weeks.

Mr Johnson said the scheme would be uncapped, affect those who arrived illegally since 1 January, and potentially involve tens of thousands in the coming years.