Tory MPs have again rejected a plan to stop Afghan heroes who supported British troops from being deported to Rwanda.
Parliamentarians on Monday night overturned multiple amendments to the Safety of Rwanda Bill by the House of Lords, including one that would have exempted anyone who supported British armed forces in a meaningful way from being deported to Rwanda.
MPs voted 312 to 253, majority 59, to reject Lords amendment 10B, which sought to exempt agents, allies and employees of the UK overseas from being removed to Rwanda. The exemption included people eligible for entry to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS).
The Bill will return to the Lords on Tuesday for further scrutiny.
The Lords and the Commons have been debating the Rwanda Bill, with the legislation going back and forth between the houses as peers try and force the government to make changes to the proposed legislation.
The House of Lords had previously backed the amendment in support of Afghan heroes who helped the British. But Rishi Sunak instructed Tory MPs to vote against all amendments to the Bill, meaning that the Lords’ proposal will be stripped out.
Two former chiefs of defence staff, a former defence secretary and a former British ambassador to the US are among the members of the Lords who have supported the clause.
Thirteen senior military figures, including Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Craig of Radley and former secretary general of Nato Lord Robertson, spoke out in favour of the exemption for Afghan soldiers ahead of the vote on Monday. In a letter to the Sunday Telegraph, top military brass said that, if the exemption is not allowed, it will do “grave damage to our ability to recruit local allies in future military operations”.
They described the Ministry of Defence’s Afghan relocation scheme as being “mired by mismanagement”. They added: “It is essential that those who have made it to British shores are not unduly punished by being removed to Rwanda when the government’s scheme is up and running.”
The Independent has documented a number of cases of asylum seekers who supported the UK armed forces efforts in Afghanistan and who have since been threatened with removal to Rwanda after arriving in the UK via small boat.
Following the votes in the Commons the Bill will head to the Lords on Tuesday. Mr Sunak has previously warned the Lords against frustrating “the will of the people” by hampering the passage of the bill.
