Team Blitz India
LONDON: In a major boost to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s policy on migrants, MPs on March 18 voted overwhelmingly to throw out a series of amendments made by the House of Lords to a Bill introduced to confirm the status of Rwanda as a safe third country.
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill responds to the Supreme Court’s concerns and will allow Parliament to confirm the status of the Republic of Rwanda as a safe third country, thereby enabling the removal of persons who arrive in the United Kingdom under the Immigration Acts.
MPs voted down all the 10 amendments to return the Bill. The result has come as an election year gift for the PM who was trying to address voters’ concern over the influx of migrants.
Government figures say that till December 10, over 29,000 people arrived in the UK by small boat. Though the number was considerably less, compared to around 44,600 at the same point in 2022 – which was a fall of around a third – the Home Office intended “to fully resolve the problem and stop the business of smugglers and traffickers”.
An official statement identified the small boats problem as part of a larger global migration crisis, “but one that this government is committed to tackling, including with international partners”. It said that the Migration Economic Development Partnership (MEDP) with the Government of Rwanda is one part of its wider programme of work to stop the boats.
However, in November, the Supreme Court concluded that there were deficiencies in the Government of Rwanda’s arrangements for determining asylum claims. The Prime Minister then announced that the UK Government would introduce new legislation to enable Parliament to confirm that, with the new treaty, Rwanda is a safe country.
