The National:

A FORMER Brexit Party MEP has been roundly mocked after he suggested putting asylum seekers on a boat “straight to Rwanda”.

Ben Habib, who represented Nigel Farage’s party in the European Parliament before Brexit, pitched the idea on Twitter on Friday.

He wrote: “The Rwanda plan could be made to work:

“Deploy Rwandan flagged ships in the Channel to pick up illegal migrants. On board they would immediately be subject to Rwandan law.

“Take them straight to Rwanda.

“No risk to lives.”

So proud of his new policy was Habib that he tagged not only TalkTV and GBNews (for the exposure), but Home Secretary Priti Patel.

The Tories may be desperate for policy ideas, but the Jouker suspects even Patel won’t stoop to reply to that.

READ MORE: Is Rwanda a safe country? Priti Patel contradicted by UK Government website

The mockery came thick and fast.

“Key point here: a Brextremist who can't even use Google maps,” law professor Jessica Simor wrote

“And to think that Priti Patel argues there are no viable alternatives to her deportation policy,” the Guardian’s Peter Walker quipped.

“A ship ‘straight to Rwanda’,” Jeff Crisp dryly wrote, sharing a map proving exactly how unfeasible getting to the land-locked country by boat would be.

But Habib – the richest MEP elected to the European Parliament in the 2019 elections according to earnings from second jobs – wasn’t done.

“Mombasa would do,” he added, accompanied by a rolling eyes emoji.

The route from Dover to Mombasa, on Kenya’s coast, is anything but direct.

A ship would have to sail around the length of Africa and pass the Cape of Good Hope before returning north, or sail past Gibraltar and along the Mediterranean, before passing through the Suez Canal and along the coast of Somalia to Kenya.

To call it impractical seems too generous. But then, the Rwanda plan was never about practicalities.

But Habib’s meltdown didn’t stop there. He’s been furiously replying to people on Twitter who have the audacity to point out the glaring flaws in his plan.

“To Rwanda ....... by boat? A cunning plan to be sure. There may be a slight flaw …” one user wrote, sharing an image highlighting Rwanda’s distance from the coast.

Habib replied: “Another moron who thinks landlocked countries cannot operate or own boats and ships. I bet you’re also a remainer.”

With brains like that behind it, it’s a wonder Brexit hasn’t been a stonking success.