The Rishi Sunak-led government on Thursday heaved a sigh of relief after he was able to overcome the rebellion from the Conservatives and passed the Safety of Rw anda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill with 276 votes out of 320 votes in the Lower House of the British parliament. The Rwanda Bill, which aims to send migrants to the central African nation of Rwanda, was expected to face a tough time, as certain members from his Conservative party were protesting against the bill, however, they backed down and the bill was passed comfortably.
Soon after the passing of the bill, the Spokesperson for Rishi Sunak’s office marked the move as a “major step to stop the boats”. He stated that the party had a plan that continuously made progress over time. Now, with the approval of the landmark legislation, he said that the flights would surely go to Rwanda, discouraging people from making journeys across the English Channel and stopping the boats.
Explained: What Is The Rwanda Bill?
All of this began in April 2022 under Prime Minister Boris Johnson, when the United Kingdom inked a deal with Rwanda to send a slew of migrants to the South African nation, who arrived in small boats crossing the English Channels illegally. Rwanda would then process their asylum claims and if accepted, the migrants would be allowed to stay in Rwanda and cannot return to the UK.
According to Johnson’s bill, anyone who would be arriving in Britain illegally after Jan 1, 2022, would be sent to Rwanda. However, the Rwanda plan since then has been facing legal challenges.
When the first deportation flight of the migrants was sent, it was blocked by the European judges. The Supreme Court then upheld the ruling stating that the scheme was unlawful because migrants were at risk of being sent to their homelands or other nations. The Supreme Court believes that the migrants would be at risk of mistreatment if they were sent to other nations. Though no deportations have taken place until now, Britain has already paid Rwanda 240 million pounds as per the agreed deal.
What Did Sunak Do?
To address these issues highlighted by the Supreme Court, when Sunak came to power, he formalized a new treaty with Rwanda, which sought to prevent any migrant from being sent elsewhere, other than back to Britain. His proposed bill affirms that Rwanda is a safe country for asylum seekers.
The bill on Thursday cleared its final hurdle in the Lower House, and will now move to the Upper chamber, the House of Lords, where it will need to be approved by the unelected members for it to become a law, compelling judges to treat Rwanda as a safe third country.
However, the bill is expected to be a test for Rishi Sunak in the House of Lords as the government does not hold a majority there, meaning that it would undergo scrutiny and there would be suggestions for amendments.
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