The House of Lords’ approval of a delayed timetable has pushed Rishi Sunak’s plan to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda by spring further out of reach. The bill is not expected to pass until late March.
The prime minister urged peers to quickly pass his asylum bill on Thursday, following its approval by the Commons the previous night. He stated that the bill represents the desires of the people.
On Thursday night, his statements seemed to have had a negative effect, as members of the House of Lords criticized them as “strange”, “empty”, and “unusual”. As a result, a two-month schedule was approved to carefully examine the bill.
Labour’s leader in the House of Lords, Angela Smith, expressed her thoughts to the Guardian, stating that she found Sunak’s press conference to be strange. She believes that Sunak lacks understanding of how the Lords operates and that the usual procedures will be followed to approve this bill.
According to Alex Carlile, a crossbench peer and lawyer, the prime minister’s press conference consisted of repetitive and unimportant statements, causing irritation among members of the Lords.
Conservative peer Jonathan Marland stated that there would be a lengthy discussion in the House of Lords regarding the specifics of the bill.
He asked GB News about the legal safeguards in place for Rwandans in the court system. He inquired about the established legal process and the options for appealing decisions.
“The government has acknowledged that certain elements, which are crucial to this bill, have yet to be addressed despite their initial promises.”
He stated: “It is the responsibility of the Lords to ensure that any loose ends in the bill are addressed, so I anticipate there will be extensive discussion about it.”
Top officials in the government were elated on Wednesday evening following Sunak’s successful passage of the Rwanda legislation, which declares the central African nation as a secure haven for refugees and enables government officials to disregard temporary orders from Strasbourg.
The prime minister held a press conference on Thursday morning in Downing Street to take advantage of the victory. He urged members of the House of Lords to pass it as swiftly as the Commons did.
Sunak asked if the House of Lords would comprehend the people’s frustration, acknowledge the decision of the elected house, and act swiftly to approve this legislation. This will allow for the legislation to be passed and flights to resume.
Soon after, colleagues reached a consensus on a schedule that involves the bill receiving a second reading on January 29th, followed by three days of discussion during the committee stage on February 12th, 14th, and 19th.
Throughout this process, peers may propose various adjustments, several of which may aim to prevent ministers from disregarding decisions made by both domestic and international courts.
It is expected that the bill will be voted on for the final time on March 12th, and then the Commons will have the opportunity to vote on any changes made by the Lords. This back-and-forth process of reaching a mutual agreement between the two houses, known as “ping-pong,” may take several weeks.
According to sources within the government, Sunak is getting ready to instruct his MPs to reject any amendments made by the Lords.
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“We have devised a strategy that satisfies both factions of the party,” one source stated. “We will not make any major alterations that could potentially sway the balance in either direction.”
If Sunak manages to withstand additional rebellions in the House of Commons, the bill is expected to pass without any changes since Labour has declared they will not oppose it in the House of Lords.
Lady Smith expressed that it would be a significant constitutional moment if the unelected house were to reject a decision made by the elected house.
By that stage, the government would be running short on time to ensure a flight is operational in order to fulfill Sunak’s commitment of implementing the program by spring.
On Thursday, Downing Street restated their commitment to the proposed timeline. According to a spokesperson, they aim to initiate flights and establish the partnership by spring in order to serve as a deterrent.
On Thursday, it was revealed that Home Office ministers are currently attempting to locate approximately 6,000 asylum seekers who cannot be found, while Sunak is pressuring the Lords to pass the bill.
A letter addressed to Diana Johnson, who chairs the home affairs select committee, was signed by both immigration ministers Michael Tomlinson and Tom Pursglove. In this letter, they stated that after reviewing their records, they discovered that 5,598 individuals were currently residing in the UK without any communication with the Home Office. Yvette Cooper, the opposition’s home secretary, expressed shock at this revelation.
A concern among certain members of the Conservative party is that any achievements in passing the bill will be overshadowed by difficulties in the asylum process. Additionally, there have been warnings that continuously emphasizing immigration could potentially benefit Reform UK, a right-wing party co-founded by Nigel Farage.
One senior member of the Tory party expressed their frustration, stating that they would prefer it if their colleagues stopped discussing the topic as it is not a top concern for the majority of people. They believe that this constant discussion only highlights the party’s internal divisions and serves as a daily reminder to the public.
Source: theguardian.com
