Campaigners and asylum seekers have won a Court of Appeal challenge over the UK government's planned Rwanda deportation scheme.
In a decision, three judges overturned a High Court ruling that previously said the east African nation could be considered a "safe third country".
The Court of Appeal's decision was announced by Chief Justice Ian Burnett during a short hearing in London.
In December last year, two judges at the High Court dismissed a series of legal bids against the plans, finding the Rwanda proposals were consistent with the government's legal obligations.
However, lawyers for some individual asylum seekers and the charity Asylum Aid brought the successful challenge against their decision at the Court of Appeal.
At a hearing in April, lawyers for the group of asylum seekers argued that the High Court "showed excessive deference" to the UK Home Office's assessment that assurances made by the Rwandan authorities "provide a sufficient guarantee to protect relocated asylum seekers" from a risk of torture or inhuman treatment.
Chief Justice Burnett, Judge Geoffrey Vos and Justice Nicholas Underhill were told that material provided by the Rwandan authorities "lacked credibility, consisting of blanket denials and clear contradictions".
Lawyers for the Home Office opposed the appeal, telling the court the Rwandan government has "indicated a clear willingness to cooperate with international monitoring mechanisms" and there are "reciprocal obligations with strong incentives for compliance".
UK govt to appeal ruling
The ruling was welcomed by human rights groups but there was an angry response in Rwanda, which insisted it met UN standards for the treatment of refugees.
The UK government said it would challenge it.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he respected the court but "fundamentally" disagreed with the judges' conclusions.
"I strongly believe the Rwandan government has provided the assurances necessary to ensure there is no real risk that asylum-seekers relocated under the Rwanda policy would be wrongly returned to third countries," he said.
"Rwanda is a safe country. The High Court agreed. The (UN refugee agency) UNHCR have their own refugee scheme for Libyan refugees in Rwanda.
"We will now seek permission to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court."
Home Office minister Simon Murray said the government is "100% behind" the scheme and "the programme set out in the Illegal Migration Bill will continue.
"You win some and you lose some, and the government is confident that at the end of the day the correct decision will be reached.
"The changes brought forward by the bill will ensure that a removal system, which acts as an effective deterrent to illegal entrants, will be fully operational and stop the dangerous [English] Channel crossings.
"To date, it has been all too easy for removals of those who should not be in our country to be thwarted."
Mr Murray was speaking in the House of Lords.
He has been steering the controversial legislation through the upper chamber of parliament.
