Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda asylum bill has finally become law after a parliamentary showdown that ended late into the night. The House of Lords had engaged in an extended tussle over the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill on Monday, sending it back to the Commons five times in an attempt to secure changes.
The unelected chamber ended the deadlock after MPs rejected a requirement that Rwanda could not be treated as safe until the Secretary of State, having consulted an independent monitoring body, made a statement to Parliament to that effect. The government said the Lords amendment was ‘almost identical’ to previous ones overturned by MPs.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Prime Minister said: “The passing of this landmark legislation is not just a step forward but a fundamental change in the global equation on migration.
“We introduced the Rwanda Bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs who exploit them. The passing of this legislation will allow us to do that and make it very clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.
“Our focus is to now get flights off the ground, and I am clear that nothing will stand in our way of doing that and saving lives.”
Earlier in the upper House, the opposition did not press its demand for the Bill to include an exemption from removal for Afghan nationals who assisted British troops after what critics hailed as a concession. A Home Office minister said the Government will not send those who are eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) to Rwanda.
The new law aims to clear the way to send asylum seekers who cross the Channel in small boats on a one-way flight to Kigali. The legislation and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to prevent further legal challenges to the stalled scheme after the Supreme Court ruled the plan was unlawful. As well as compelling judges to regard the east African country as safe, it would give ministers the power to ignore emergency injunctions.
Mr Sunak said the policy will act as a deterrent to migrants attempting to make the perilous journey across the world’s busiest shipping lane. James Cleverly described the deportation plan passing through Parliament as a ‘landmark moment in our plan to stop the boats’.
In a video posted to social media, the Home Secretary said the Bill ‘will become law within days’. He said: “The Act will prevent people from abusing the law by using false human rights claims to block removals. And it makes clear that the UK Parliament is sovereign, giving Government the power to reject interim blocking measures imposed by European courts.
“I promised to do what was necessary to clear the path for the first flight. That’s what we have done. Now we’re working day in and day out to get flights off the ground.”
