The Supreme Court has ruled against the UK government's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, saying it's unlawful.
As he delivered his judgment Lord Reed, the president of the Supreme Court, stressed that their decision was based entirely on "the evidence and the legal principles".
The court, he said, "is not concerned with the political debate" around the policy.
But the political implications of what the court has done are massive and unavoidable.
This is a serious blow to the government. Its flagship policy to "stop the boats" - one of Rishi Sunak's five pledges for 2023 - has been struck down.
And the prime minister will now have to make a rapid decision about how to proceed.
And what timing, coming just two days after Suella Braverman was sacked as home secretary, and less than 24 hours after Braverman publicly lambasted Sunak’s approach to illegal immigration.
Rishi Sunak has put out a statement on the Rwanda ruling, saying the government will consider what steps to take next. It notes that ruling said the "principle" of sending migrants to a third country is "lawful".
"We have seen today’s judgment and will now consider next steps," the statement reads.
"This was not the outcome we wanted, but we have spent the last few months planning for all eventualities and we remain completely committed to stopping the boats.
"Crucially, the Supreme Court – like the Court of Appeal and the High Court before it – has confirmed that the principle of sending illegal migrants to a safe third country for processing is lawful. This confirms the Government’s clear view from the outset.
"Illegal migration destroys lives and costs British taxpayers millions of pounds a year. We need to end it and we will do whatever it takes to do so.
"Because when people know that if they come here illegally, they won’t get to stay then they will stop coming altogether, and we will stop the boats."