Rwanda bill - live: Sunak doubles down on refusal to help Afghan heroes as no guarantee of fights by spring
Commons leader confirms Rwanda bill will return to the House of Commons on Monday
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Your support makes all the difference.Rishi Sunak has doubled down on his refusal to exempt Afghan heroes who served with British forces from being deported to Rwanda.
A No 10 spokesman said on Wednesday that the government would not be making any concessions on the Rwanda bill after the House of Lords last night voted in favour of the move.
The defiant upper chamber refused to cave to ministers’ demands and sent the flagship Rwanda plan back to the Commons.
Peers are also demanding the set up of a monitoring committee to assess whether Rwanda is safe before the government sends asylum seekers there.
Downing Street also on Thursday was unable to recommit to the prime minister’s pledge to get flights to Rwanda off the ground by the spring.
The spokesman said: “I’m not going to get ahead of the bill passing, which obviously we’ve seen again last night has continued to be held up.
“We’re working at pace to ensure these flights leave as soon as possible. It’s now incumbent on the Lords to pass this Bill such that we can trigger the final planning phases and ultimately stop the boats.”
Government won’t be making concessions on Rwanda bill - No 10
The government will not be making concessions on changes to the Rwanda bill requested by the House of Lords, Downing Street has indicated.
Peers on Wednesday again supported an exemption from removal for those who worked with the UK military or government overseas, such as Afghan interpreters.
Asked whether ministers could move on that, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “The amendment is unnecessary.
“We already have safe and legal routes for people in this category. It’s one of the most generous safe and legal routes that we have in fact.
“We are proud that we have relocated over 16,000 people to safety through the scheme so far.”
He said the amendment would “create an unnecessary and dangerous incentive for these people to travel here illegally, which is precisely what this bill is trying to avoid.”
ICYMI: Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers
A defiant House of Lords has refused to cave to ministers and sent Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda plan back to the Commons – with two key demands.
Peers voted on Wednesday night in favour of an amendment to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill that would exempt Afghan heroes who supported UK troops overseas from being deported.
Full report:
Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill
Downing Street has refused any concessions and insists flights will take off by summer
MPs will consider Lords ammendments to Rwanda bill on Monday, Commons leader confirms
Commons leader Penny Mordaunt has said MPs will consider further Lords amendments to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill on 22 April.
Further time will be made available in the Commons on 23 April if the Lords continue to make changes.
ICYMI: Home Office minister repeatedly ignores question on whether government has airline for Rwanda scheme
Watch: Minister repeatedly ignores question on securing airline for Rwanda flights
Watch as a Home Office minister repeatedly dodges questions on whether the government has an airline “ready” to take asylum seekers to Rwanda. Laura Farris appeared on Sky News on Tuesday 16 April to discuss Rishi Sunak’s flagship deportation bill, which is currently bouncing between the House of Commons and the House of Lords in parliament. The prime minister has repeatedly said flights to Kigali will take off by spring, but has refused to name a specific date. Reports have also suggested that Rwanda’s state-owned airline turned down a government proposal to transport asylum seekers because it wanted to avoid being associated with the controversial scheme. Ms Farris repeatedly sidestepped Kay Burley’s question about whether an airline has been secured as she spoke on Tuesday.
ICYMI: Britain to hand Rwanda £50m as soon as deportation bill becomes law, Home Office confirms
Rishi Sunak will give Rwanda £50m as soon as his flagship deportation bill becomes law, the Home Office has admitted.
With the bill expected to gain royal assent this week, the UK will send Kigali the latest payment of cash despite no migrants having been sent to the east African nation.
Full report:
Britain to hand Rwanda £50m as soon as deportation bill becomes law, Home Office
With the bill expected to gain royal assent this week, the UK will send Kigali the latest payment of £50m despite no migrants having been sent to the east African nation
Home Office confirms deal with Vietnam on strengthening efforts to tackle illegal migration
The Home Office has confirmed a new deal with Vietnam to strengthen collaboration on efforts to tackle illegal migration, including through deterrence communication campaigns and intelligence-sharing.
Vietnamese nationals made up 5 per cent of small boat arrivals in the UK in 2023, up from 1 per cent in 2022 but the same proportion as in 2021, Home Office figures show.
From 2018 to the end of 2023, there were 3,356 Vietnamese small boat arrivals, putting Vietnam in the top 10 source countries.
Cleverly accuses Labour of ‘politically cynical’ effort to scupper Rwanda plan
Home secretary James Cleverly accused Labour of a “politically cynical” effort to scupper the Rwanda scheme as peers dealt another blow to the asylum plan.
Labour said the government should stop wasting time and money on the “hare-brained scheme” which aims to send some asylum seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda in order to deter people from crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Mr Cleverly said: “Terrified that the Rwanda scheme will work, and desperate to delay or disrupt over a hundred votes about stopping the boats, Labour have acted again to block the passage of the Rwanda Bill.
“It’s been another politically cynical effort by them, who have no alternative deterrent and no plan to tackle illegal migration, to frustrate the only solution on offer.
“We want to break the criminal people smuggling gangs and stop the boats. Labour, uncomfortable with tackling immigration, will clearly stop at nothing to stop the planes”.
Shapps insists there are already schemes in place to help Afghan heroes
Grant Shapps insisted there are already schemes in place to help Afghan heroes come to the UK as he sought to justify the government’s refusal to accept an amendment to the Rwanda bill that would exempt people who have served with British forces being deported to the African country.
Speaking to the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme, the defence secretary said: “As defence secretary, I am immensely keen to ensure that people who supported us in Afghanistan are able to move here. That’s why we have a programme of Afghans’ ability to come here, which has already brought 16,000 people here.
When it was put to him that there were lots of other Afghan heroes who hadn’t been offered asylum, Mr Shapps added: “The way to do that is legally - not be allowing people who have come here illegally via people smugglers to then stay here.”
In full: Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers
A defiant House of Lords has refused to cave to ministers and sent Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda plan back to the Commons – with two key demands.
Peers voted on Wednesday night in favour of an amendment to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill that would exempt Afghan heroes who supported UK troops overseas from being deported.
Full report:
Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill
Downing Street has refused any concessions and insists flights will take off by summer
The Rwanda bill explained: What is the controversial policy and what happens next?
Last night the House of Lords again rejected the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
But what is the Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, when was the idea conceived and how will it work if made law?
Here’s everything we know about the plan:
The Rwanda bill explained: What is the controversial policy and what happens next?
Ministers have designed legislation to get round legal objections and say flights could take off within weeks – but a potential stumbling block remains
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