Minister of State Chris Philp was asked a question by an audience member from the Democratic Republic of Congo during BBC One’s Question Time.
Mr Philp asked in response: “[DR] Congo is a different country to Rwanda, isn’t it?” – raising eyebrows from panel members and the audience.
The government’s Rwanda bill says any asylum seeker entering the UK “illegally” after 1 January 2022, from a safe country such as France, could be sent to Rwanda.
An ally of Mr Philp suggested the minister had been posing a rhetorical question, rather than a real one, as he tried to clarify what he had been asked.
You can watch the latest episode of Question Time here.
