The House of Lords has delivered its first blow to Rishi Sunak’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill by approving an amendment aimed at ensuring the eventual Act complies fully with the rule of law and international and domestic law.
The amendment, known as Amendment Two, was supported by 274 peers to 172, marking a significant setback for the government’s plans.
This vote is expected to kick off a series of exchanges between the House of Commons and the House of Lords over the bill. However, the Lords’ ability to block the bill entirely is limited, as this back-and-forth process can only occur three times before the government can invoke the Parliament Act and override the Upper House.
Rishi Sunak (Credits: GB News)
Despite this setback, a No 10 spokesperson reiterated the government’s commitment to the bill, describing it as the “toughest piece of illegal migration legislation ever introduced.”
The spokesperson emphasized that the bill would enable the government to proceed with its plans to launch flights to Rwanda, aiming to prevent legal challenges to the deportation scheme following a Supreme Court ruling that deemed the plan unlawful.
The controversial legislation, along with a treaty with Rwanda, seeks to address legal challenges to the deportation scheme by requiring judges to consider Rwanda as a safe country and granting ministers the authority to disregard emergency injunctions.
The government hopes that these measures will prevent further legal obstacles to its deportation plans and protect lives by discouraging dangerous journeys across the English Channel.
