MPs will soon vote to overturn the House of Lords amendments to the Rwanda Bill and send the legislation back to peers.
Peers have so far refused to pass the Rwanda Bill and have dug their heels in on two issues:
- Ensuring that Rwanda is not declared safe until an independent monitoring committee at work in the country confirms it is
- Exempting people who have served and helped British forces abroad. They are particularly concerned about protecting Afghan interpreters who make their way to the UK from deportation Peers have submitted amendments on both points.
It comes after prime minister prime minister Rishi Sunak said flights to Rwanda have been booked and will take off by July, “no ifs, no buts” at a Downing Street news conference.
Sunak told the surprise conference the first flight carrying asylum seekers would leave for Rwanda in 10-12 weeks, despite the problems he has faced passing it into law.
POLITICS LATEST:
5.30 pm — MPs are now voting on the House of Lords amendment to the Rwanda Bill which would exempt people from deportation who have served and helped British forces abroad.
5.28 pm — MPs vote 306-229 to reject Lord Hope’s amendment to the Rwanda Bill.
The amendment sought to establish a monitoring committee to adjudicate on whether Rwanda is safe.
5.13 pm — MPs are now voting on the House of Lords amendment to the Rwanda Bill which would mean Rwanda could only be treated as a safe country if it is deemed so by an independent monitoring body.
4.52 pm — Conservative MP Sir Jeremy Wright, a former attorney general, signals he will rebel by voting for Lord Hope’s amendment.
The amendment seeks to establish a monitoring committee to adjudicate on whether Rwanda is safe.
NEW: Conservative MP Sir Jeremy Wright, a former attorney general, signals he rebel by voting for Lord Hope’s amendment
The amendment seeks to establish a monitoring committee to adjudicate on whether Rwanda is safe pic.twitter.com/aAB7AtEsm4
— Josh Self (@Josh_Self_) April 22, 2024
4.30 pm — Illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson opens the debate.
He tells MPs: “Criminal gangs are determined who comes to the United Kingdom as vulnerable people are being lured into unseaworthy boats and risking their lives. Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money is being spent on illegal migration.
Our resources and services are reaching their limits. We must put an end to it. We must pass this legislation and stop the boats. I urge this House once again to send an unambiguous message to the other place. The time has come for the Labour Lords to respect the views of this House and let this bill now pass.
4.20 pm — MPs have begun debating the amendments to the Rwanda Bill submitted by the Lords last week.
The House of Commons is expected to reject the changes requested by peers and the legislation will then “ping pong” between the two houses.
The debates could go on until the early hours of the night.
4.00 pm — Good afternoon and welcome back to “Politics Live”, Politics.co.uk’s rolling coverage of the day’s key moments in Westminster and beyond. Here you can keep up to date with today’s major parliamentary debates, press conferences and news events in real time.
Here’s what’s happening today:
- It’s the Rwanda Bill’s final parliamentary showdown as the prime minister vows to pass controversial legislation “no matter how late [the debate] goes”
Stay with us and we’ll bring you all the latest developments as they unfold.
