British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has suffered his first defeat in his battle over legislation to send asylum seekers to Rwanda after the upper house of parliament demanded stronger protections before deportation flights can take off.
Under Rwanda’s plan, which has yet to be implemented, asylum seekers arriving on England’s south coast in small inflatable boats would be sent to live in Rwanda. However, due to a series of legal challenges, no one has been deported yet.
In an attempt to overcome resistance from the courts, the Sunak’s government is pushing legislation through parliament that will block further legal wrangling, declaring Rwanda a so-called safe country for asylum seekers.
The unelected members of the House of Lords, made up mostly of former politicians and government officials, voted in favour of one amendment that flights can only take place after a treaty providing legal safeguards in Rwanda’s asylum system has been fully implemented.
The Lords also voted in favour of an amendment that legislation must fully comply with international and domestic law, as well as an amendment requiring proof that Rwanda is safe for refugees before flights can depart.
However, the more powerful House of Commons can overturn the changes later in the process known as “parliamentary ping-pong” and the legislation could go on the statute book without amendment.
Rishi Sunak has said he wants the first deportation flights to depart in the next few months – before the general election expected in the second half of this year – so he can fulfil his promise to “stop the boats”.
Last week, a report from the National Audit Office revealed the escalating cost of the Rwanda bill, laying out how it could cost the taxpayer almost £2 million ($2.5 million) for each of the first 300 asylum seekers sent. Speaking on a visit to Scotland last week, Sunak said he still thought the plan was value for money. He also added:
Taxpayers are already forking out millions of pounds a day to house illegal migrants in hotels across the country. That’s why the Rwanda scheme is so important. It’s a worthwhile investment and I’m determined to see it through.
More than 2,500 asylum seekers have reached Britain in small boats this year. A seven-year-old girl trying to reach Britain died at the weekend after a small boat carrying its passengers capsized off the coast of France.
In the most detailed financial assessment of the Rwanda policy, the British government watchdog said Friday that deporting the first 300 refugees would cost 600 million pounds ($762 million).
