Would You like a feature Interview?
All Interviews are 100% FREE of Charge
Tory MPs have given up on the possibility of a Rwandan emigration plan being realized before the general election after another postponement of a bill to start deportation flights.
The Rwanda Security Bill will not be considered again by MPs until mid-April, the Government has confirmed, after the House of Lords approved a series of amendments this week to water down the bill.
The delay raises the prospect that the first flights may not take off until June at the earliest, despite previous promises that the first flights would begin this spring.
Several Conservative parties have announced I They fear that asylum seekers will no longer be sent to Rwanda in time for elections expected in the fall.
One former minister said: “The nature of government is to let people down. This flight will be good for the families of the electors we are starting to lose, but I personally don’t think it will happen if this continues.”
“I wonder why they haven’t brought the bill back before Easter,” said another senior party official. And a third Conservative MP added: “Having scheduled flights to Rwanda would make a huge difference in the election, because we can go to reform voters and say we’re getting the job done, so let’s get the job done.” But I’m almost certain that won’t happen. There will be no more planes. ”
A backbencher from “Red Wall” said: If we don’t win the battle here, how will we win when the courts intervene again? I think the Minister can do more. they should do more. That’s what we were asking for when we wanted to strengthen the bill. I don’t think they’ve done enough to make this happen. ”
The House will next vote on a bill aimed at overturning the court’s previously expressed policy concerns on April 15, with the aim of placing it on the statute book later that week.
MPs are almost certain to once again vote to remove the Lords Amendment in its entirety, determined to remove provisions that would have forced ministers to ignore international human rights law and restrict migrants’ right to appeal against deportation to Rwanda. This will cause a new conflict with the members of parliament who are entrenched in the matter. .
Home Secretary James Cleverley said: “I will prevent my Labor Party colleagues from continually delaying and obstructing what I am trying to do and what the Government is trying to do, which is to disrupt the criminal business model. “We are absolutely determined to pass legislation in the House of Commons to stop smuggling rings, people crossing the Channel dangerously, to protect our borders and to stop ships.” ”
The No. 10 spokesman said the government was facing a “migrant emergency”, noting that 514 people had crossed the English Channel in dangerous small boats to reach British shores on Wednesday. The total number of railroad crossings so far this year is 10 percent higher than the equivalent point in 2023.
Labour’s shadow leader, Lucy Powell MP, claimed the government was deliberately delaying the Rwanda plan because it was not yet ready to implement it. She said: “The truth is, if they were ready to implement this plan, there would be a bill here next week. This is their timetable, their delay. It doesn’t belong to anyone else.”