Plan to send migrants to Rwanda could soon clear major hurdle
THE BRITISH government hopes one last push can revive its stalled plan to send some asylum seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda. A bill aimed at overcoming a UK Supreme Court block on the deportation flights returns to the House of Commons on Monday, and could be passed into law within days.
That would be a boost for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is facing disquiet from fellow Conservative lawmakers as the party lags in opinion polls ahead of an election due this year.
Lawmakers in the House of Commons are due to consider changes made to the Safety of Rwanda Bill by Parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords. The Lords inserted a series of amendments designed to water down the legislation.
All 10 amendments are likely to be removed by lawmakers in the Commons, where the Conservatives have a majority. After a backand-forth tussle with the upper house, the Commons is almost certain to prevail, because the unelected Lords can’t overrule the elected lower house.
Once the bill becomes law, it could be weeks before any flights to Rwanda take off, as people chosen for deportation are likely to lodge legal appeals.
Sunak said on Monday that he was sticking to a previous promise that flights would start “in the spring”.
Britain and Rwanda signed a deal almost two years ago that would see migrants who cross the English Channel in small boats sent to the East African country, where they would remain permanently.
The plan is key to Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” bringing unauthorised migrants to the UK. Sunak argues that deporting unauthorised asylum seekers will deter people from making risky journeys and break the business model of people-smuggling gangs.
Just under 30,000 people arrived in Britain in small boats in 2023, many of them not from the African continent at all.
“We need to make it clear that if you come here illegally, you won’t be able to stay, and we will be able to remove you. That is the only way to properly solve the issue of illegal migration,” Sunak told reporters.
The agreement f aced multiple l egal challenges, and no one has been sent to Rwanda. Britain has promised Rwanda at least £370 million (US$470 million) as part of the deal, whose cost is rapidly rising.