Peers in the House of Lords have inflicted a fresh defeat on Rishi Sunak's Rwanda Bill this evening, as the parliamentary ping-pong over the scheme continues.
The House of Lords pressed a demand by 258 votes to 233, majority 25, that the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill has “due regard” for international and key domestic laws, including human rights and modern slavery legislation.
The latest Government setback means a continuation of the wrangling at Westminster over the proposed law that aims to clear the way to send asylum seekers who cross the Channel in small boats to Kigali.
The Bill is intended to prevent further legal challenges to the beleaguered migration scheme, after the Supreme Court last year ruled the plan was unlawful.
Peers in the House of Lords have inflicted a fresh defeat on Rishi Sunak's Rwanda Bill this evening, as the parliamentary ping-pong over the scheme continues
PA
As well as compelling judges to regard the east African country as safe, it would also give ministers the power to ignore emergency injunctions.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Downing Street said the Government remains focused on getting flights off to Rwanda “as soon as possible”.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said: "We remain focused on getting the Bill passed as soon as possible so we can get flights off the ground and break the business model of the criminal gangs."
She added: “The Prime Minister’s message to parliamentarians across both houses hasn’t changed.
“We need to act to save lives and that’s what this Bill will help us to do.”
The Bill returned to the Lords today after MPs yesterday voted to reject all of their amendments to the legislation.
Speaking in Brussels earlier today, Suella Braverman took a swipe at Rishi Sunak, claiming he lacks the "political will to take on the European Court of Human Rights" over the Rwanda scheme. She accused Strasbourg of overruling the "will of the people" by preventing flights from taking off.
Speaking at the National Conservatism Conference, the former home secretary said the current Government hasn't "laid the groundwork" to quit the ECHR - despite Sunak suggesting he is willing to do so.
She added: "It’s no surprise that recent noises in this direction are easily dismissed as inauthentic."
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Earlier this year, Sunak vowed to quit the ECHR if Strasbourg continues to block attempts to get flights to Rwanda.
He said that controlling illegal migration is "more important" than membership of the ECHR, saying he would not let a "foreign court" interfere with a policy that is "fundamental to our sovereignty".
