Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak received a huge relief for now as the lawmakers on Tuesday (Dec 12) voted in favour of the government’s latest plans to send migrants to Rwanda. The plans emerged as a massive problem for Sunak as it has split the ruling Conservative party.
The emergency bill was the government’s response to the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in November which said that deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda was unconstitutional under international law.
The parliamentary vote saw 313 MPs vote for the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, with 269 against.
Sunak’s plan is part of wider government action to reduce record levels of regular and irregular immigration. The immigration issue is expected to take centre stage at next year’s election.
The bill has led to Tory infighting, something similar to what the world saw during the Brexit voting. But still, Sunak sought to to declare Rwanda safe despite concerns from human rights monitors, and removing legal challenges to deportation orders.
As per the hardline right-wingers, the proposals are not tough enough, while more liberal Tories are concerned they could see the UK break international law if they are amended down the line.
‘We will not be supporting it’
Just a few minutes before the vote, MP Mark Francois told reporters that the “five families” of right-wing Tory factions had met and decided not to support the bill.
Francois, who is the chairman of the European Research Group of Tory MPs who advocated a “hard” Brexit, said: “We have decided collectively that we cannot support the bill tonight because of its many omissions… We will not be supporting it.”
“The prime minister has been telling colleagues today he is prepared to entertain tightening the bill. With that aim, at the committee stage we will aim to table amendments which would, we hope, if accepted, materially improve the bill and remove some of its weaknesses,” Francois added.
(With inputs from agencies)
