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Members of the House of Lords have inflicted their first defeat against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s controversial Rwanda asylum bill in a move aimed at ensuring the legislation is fully compliant with domestic and international law.
Some 274 members of the UK’s upper house voted for an amendment to the bill, introduced by the Labour Lord Vernon Coaker, with 102 voting against it on Monday.
Human rights groups, immigration law experts and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees have all said the legislation in its current state would place the UK in breach of its obligations under international law.
Peers will this week be voting on almost 50 amendments to the bill, which is intended to clear legal obstacles to the government’s plans to send asylum seekers to the east African country, and allow for the first removal flights to take off before a general election expected later this year.
Many of the proposed amendments seek to strengthen human rights provisions in the bill. One introduced by Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti challenges the government’s attempt to legislate that Rwanda is a safe place to send asylum seekers despite a Supreme Court ruling that found it otherwise last year.
The bill is expected to face significant opposition in the House of Lords but is still likely to get past its finally parliamentary hurdle in late March in the House of Commons.
This is a developing story
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