The Rwanda Bill back in the Commons

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The Rwanda bill passed in the House of Commons on Wednesday by 320 votes to 276 and has now been sent to the House of Lords. After days of Conservative infighting and prospective rebellion, the slim majority of 44 came as a relief to Rishi Sunak. 11 Conservative MPs voted against it including Robert Jenrick and former home secretary Suella Braverman, despite around 60 Tories backing changes to toughen the legislation. For those on the party’s right, the bill doesn’t do enough to ‘stop the boats’.

Whilst it’s unlikely that the Lords will vote against the bill, the Conservatives should expect a significant challenge. The Lords have threatened to make amendments, to ensure that it complies with international law. Indeed, the Prime Minister has urged peers not to “frustrate the will of the people” and hopes that the bill will pass with haste.

The bill outlines that asylum seekers in the UK will be sent to Rwanda for a minimum of five years to have their claims processed. There is no limit on the number of people who can be sent, and no asylum seeker would be able to apply to return to the UK. It is also understood that the Home Office has selected the first 100 people to be deported.

The bill is able to pass despite the Supreme Court ruling in November that the scheme was unlawful due to breaches of the European Convention on Human Rights. This is because the government passed a new bill to identify that Rwanda is a safe country in UK law. It also told courts to ignore other British laws which could prevent any deportations to Rwanda.

Despite narrowly surviving a rebellion, polls remain dire for the Conservatives in the upcoming election. It highlights the necessity for the bill to pass through the Lords intact.