Home Secretary James Cleverly has told opponents of the Government’s plan to deter people smugglers by deporting them to Rwanda that he is trying to do something about “evil”.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby is among opponents of the Rwanda plan, telling the House of Lords last week the scheme was “leading the nation down a damaging path”.

But speaking to The Sun on Sunday, Mr Cleverly said the problem of people-smuggling gangs needed to be tackled.

“This is evil being done,” he said. “I’m trying to do something about it.

“Bishops talks about good and evil. We’ve got to do something about it.

“For those people who disagree with how I’m going about it, I get that. But where’s the alternative plan? These are people smugglers. These are criminals. They are perpetrating an evil.”

He said the Rwanda Bill was “far, far too important” to “entertain wrecking amendments” and challenged his critics to come up with other options ahead of it returning to the House of Lords.

“Unless they are able to put forward some credible alternative as a deterrent, they should let me deploy this alongside the other things we are doing,” he said.

“There is nothing honourable, there is nothing righteous, about removing one of the tools to break criminality.”