Rwanda bill: Rishi Sunak urges Lords not to 'frustrate will of people' and back deportation flights
· 19.01.2024 · 00:51:18 ··· ··· Friday ·· 5 (5)
Evening Standard Rishi Sunak is holding a press conference after his Rwanda Bill got Commons approval, as many would-be Tory rebels fell into line to back the flagship legislation.
The Safety of Rwanda Bill passed its third reading in the Commons unamended with a majority of 44 after only 11 Tories, including former home secretary Suella Braverman, voted against the Prime Minister’s immigration plan.
With the legislation now set to move to the House of Lords, where serious opposition is expected, Mr Sunak is likely to urge peers to pass the Bill as soon as possible.
In a sign of some of the concerns felt by peers, Lord Carlile, a former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, warned on Thursday that the bill represents “a step towards totalitarianism”.
But Home Office minister Chris Philp said he expected the legislation to pass through the Lords relatively speedily, telling Times Radio: “It’s a pretty short Bill, which means it should be able to get through the House of Lords fairly fast.”
The successful passage of the Bill is a boost to Mr Sunak, but it came after another display of the deep divisions in the Tory party after dozens of backbenchers rebelled to back right-wing amendments over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.
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