The UK government on Tuesday defended its controversial policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, even as the entire senior leadership of the Church of England branded it shameful and immoral, according to AFP.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss insisted the first flight to Kigali, believed to be operated by Spanish charter firm Privilege Style, would take off, no matter how many people were on board.

Only seven people are now due to be deported because of legal challenges and reviews of their cases -- well down on the 130 initially envisaged by the authorities.

"We're expecting to send the flight later today," Truss told Sky News but said she was unable to confirm the numbers due to be on board.

"There will be people on the flights and if they're not on this flight, they will be on the next flight," she added.

Truss said the policy, which the UN refugee agency has criticized as "all wrong", was vital to break up human-trafficking gangs exploiting vulnerable migrants.

Record numbers of migrants have made the perilous Channel crossing from northern France, heaping pressure on the government in London to act after it promised to tighten borders after Brexit.

British media said some 260 people attempting the crossing in small boats were brought ashore at the Channel port of Dover by 1200 GMT on Tuesday.

More than 10,000 have crossed since the start of the year.