STUBBORN peers last night appeared to have wrecked Rishi Sunak’s plan to begin Rwanda flights this spring.
The PM yesterday dropped his pledge to get the first illegal migrants deported before the summer.
EPAThe PM dropped his pledge to get the first illegal migrants deported before the summer[/caption]
AlamyDefence Secretary Grant Shapps gave opposition peers both barrels for thwarting the will of the elected Commons to get removal flights going[/caption]
Downing Street said a new timeline would be set out if the Bill finally clears Parliament on Monday.
Labour and Lib Dem peers in the House of Lords have continued to block it becoming law unless ministers agree to water down elements of the plan.
On Wednesday they sent it back to the Commons for the fourth time with two amendments the Tories will strip out before returning it once again.
Amid the deadlock Mr Sunak’s spokesman yesterday would not recommit to the initial spring timetable agreed last November.
He said: “Our intention is to get this passed on Monday such that we can then set out the timetable for getting flights off as soon as possible.”
He added: “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.”
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps gave opposition peers both barrels for thwarting the will of the elected Commons to get removal flights going.
He said: “Labour have once again locked the ability for Parliament to pass this law. Labour don’t seem to have an answer, they don’t seem to want it to happen. It’s directly at Keir Starmer’s door if they don’t go.”
The top Tory also all-but confirmed that RAF pilots are on standby to take asylum seekers to Kigali if they keep struggling to find an airline.
He said ministers will do “whatever we need to do” to make the flagship immigration plan work.
Government figures believe they can get the first deportation plane to take off about four weeks after the legislation receives Royal Assent.
Sir Keir Starmer does not support the Rwanda plan and has vowed to pull the plug – even if it is working – if he becomes PM.
Yesterday he said: “I think the Government should be concentrating on how they are going to stop small boats from arriving in the first place rather than wasting time and money, taxpayers’ money, on a gimmick, however they travel to Rwanda.”
When will Rwanda flights take off?
What is the Rwanda plan?
Under the plan, anyone who arrives in Britain illegally will be deported to Rwanda, a country in eastern Africa.
The government believes the threat of being removed to Rwanda will deter migrants from making the dangerous Channel crossing in small boats.
Once in Rwanda, their asylum claims will be processed but there is no route back to the UK, save for some exceptional circumstances such as individual safety concerns. Britain will pay for migrants to start a new life in Rwanda.
What’s the hold up?
First announced by Boris Johnson in 2022, the scheme has been bogged down by relentless legal challenges.
The first flight was due to take off in summer 2022, but was blocked on the runway at the last minute by a European Court order.
Since then the legality of the plan has been contested in the courts, culminating in a Supreme Court judgement in November last year which said Rwanda was unsafe for asylum seekers.
What is Sunak doing?
To salvage the Rwanda plan from the Supreme Court’s scathing ruling, Rishi Sunak announced a two-pronged workaround.
First, he would sign a new treaty with Rwanda to beef up protections for asylum seekers that will be enshrined in law.
Second, he would introduce new legislation that would declare Rwanda a safe country.
It would mean courts, police and officials would have to treat it as safe unless there is a risk of individual and irreparable harm.
How long will that take?
The legislation has cleared the Commons but is now being held up in the House of Lords.
Rishi Sunak does not have a majority in the Lords, and peers are far more hostile to the plan.
They will likely send it back to the Commons with amendments watering down the scheme.
Such changes would be unconscionable to MPs who would strip out the measures and send it back.
This “ping-pong” will continue until either side – usually the unelected Lords – gives in and the Bill passes.
When will flights take off?
Mr Sunak wants to get the first flights sent to Rwanda by the spring.
But potential hurdles include more court battles launched by individual migrants either in UK courts or the European Court of Human Rights.
Mr Sunak has vowed to ignore any more orders by Strasbourg judges to ground planes, although individual appeals in domestic courts could prove tricky.
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will scrap the scheme if he is elected PM, even if it is working