Conservative rebels are attempting to amend the Rwanda Bill in what some are calling the “last opportunity” to make it work. Rishi Sunak claims that the proposed legislation is already the strictest immigration law ever proposed. However, Tory rebels argue that it will continue to fail if the existing structure is left in place. Robert Jenrick is spearheading the movement, introducing amendments to the Bill alongside veteran Conservative Sir Bill Cash, to prevent individuals from blocking their removal to Rwanda and to stop problems arising from international law being considered in legal challenges against the policy.
Mr Jenrick says that the Bill needs to create “a sustainable deterrent” to prevent people crossing the English Channel in small boats. He has argued that the current legislation leaves loopholes, which can be exploited by the affected individuals to challenge their deportation, raising questions of the safety of their return to Rwanda. More than 60 Tory MPs have thrown their weight behind the amendments, including two deputy Conservative chairmen, Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith.
The wider test will come on Wednesday when the rebels will have an opportunity to vote against the entire Rwanda Bill. If around 30 Tory MPs support the opposition parties in voting against the Bill, it as a whole may be rejected. At least three other Tory MPs, including former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, have publicly stated that they will also vote against it if improvements are not made. More MPs are expected to join them.
The government’s Rwanda policy faced opposition after the country’s supreme court raised concerns about the safety of asylum seekers being sent to the country. The Safety of Rwanda Bill was introduced in response, representing in UK law that the country is a safe destination for asylum seekers. Shadow Home Office Minister Stephen Kinnock dismissed the policy as “unaffordable, unworkable and unlawful”, and urged MPs to support Labour’s amendments to the Bill. These amendments include ensuring that courts consider the possibility of refoulement when deciding to remove asylum seekers to Rwanda
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