The House of Lords has snubbed fresh ministerial calls to back down in the tense stand-off over Rishi Sunak’s asylum plan – and insisted on a requirement that Rwanda cannot be treated as safe until promised protections are in place.
Peers voted by 245 votes to 208, majority 37. The fresh setback for means the wrangling will continue, after MPs again rejected amendments to the government’s flagship Rwanda Bill, renewing their battle with the Lords.
Peers had on Tuesday voted to amend the legislation for a third time, but MPs voted on Wednesday afternoon against four key amendments, including one to exempt asylum-seekers who aided UK troops overseas, such as Afghan special forces, from deportation to Rwanda.
Downing Street ruled out making concessions on its Safety of Rwanda Bill.
The government had been reportedly considering concessions, including exemptions for Afghans who assisted British forces, but the prime minister’s official spokesman ruled out any such move.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer accused “billionaires” Rishi Sunak and Tory peer Lord Ashcroft of “smearing a working class woman”, his deputy, Angela Rayner.
The pair have criticised Ms Rayner over the sale of her former council house, suggesting she may have failed to pay capital gains tax or given false information.
Also at Prime Minister’s Questions, Rishi Sunak refused to rule out cuts to the NHS and state pensions to fund a £46bn national insurance giveaway.
Lords keep deadlock going in snubbing calls to back down
The House of Lords has snubbed ministerial calls to back down – and insisted by 245 votes to 208, majority 37, on a requirement that Rwanda cannot be treated as safe until promised protections are in place.
The fresh government setback means yet more wrangling at Westminster over the proposed law that aims to clear the way to send asylum-seekers who cross the Channel in small boats on a one-way flight to Kigali.
Jeremy Hunt refuses to say ‘anything negative’ about Liz Truss
Jeremy Hunt refuses to say ‘anything negative’ about Liz Truss
Jeremy Hunt refused to say “anything negative” about Liz Truss as she “appointed him as chancellor.” When asked by Sky News if he thought the former prime minister, who has been critical of government policy, is currently being helpful for the Conservative Party, the cabinet minister would not cast aspersions on his colleague. “I think Liz will be the first to accept that during her time as prime minister, mistakes were made,” Mr Hunt said of Ms Truss’s 49 days in office, in which the pound hit a 37-year low against the dollar. “She appointed me as chancellor, so I don’t want to say anything negative about Liz Truss,” he added.
Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers
Peers voted on Wednesday night in favour of an amendment to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill that would exempt Afghan heroes who supported UK troops overseas from being deported.
They also insisted on a monitoring committee to assess whether Rwanda is safe before the government sends asylum seekers there.
‘Billionaire prime minister smearing a working class woman,’ Starmer says
Sir Keir Starmer has accused “billionaires” Rishi Sunak and Tory peer Lord Ashcroft of “smearing a working class woman” Angela Rayner, Archie Mitchell reports.
The pair have repeatedly criticised Ms Rayner over the sale of her former council house in 2015, suggesting she may have failed to pay due capital gains tax or given false information about her address.
After Mr Sunak referenced the investigation into Ms Rayner at PMQs, Sir Keir said: “We’ve got a billionaire prime minister and a billionaire colleague both of whose families have used schemes to avoid millions of pounds in tax smearing a working class woman.”
A Tory MP is being investigated by the party following claims he misused campaign funds
Mark Menzies is facing allegations he made a late-night call to a 78-year-old aide asking for help because he had been locked up by “bad people” demanding thousands of pounds for his release.
The Fylde MP disputes the allegations reported by The Times but the Conservative Party is looking into the claims and taking them seriously.
According to the newspaper, £14,000 given by donors for use on Tory campaign activities was transferred to Mr Menzies’ personal bank accounts and used for private medical expenses.
The MP, who is one of Rishi Sunak’s trade envoys, is also said to have called his 78-year-old former campaign manager at 3.15am one morning in December, claiming he was locked in a flat and needed £5,000 as a matter of “life and death”.
The sum, which rose to £6,500, was eventually paid by his office manager from her personal bank account and subsequently reimbursed from funds raised from donors in an account named Fylde Westminster Group, it is alleged.
According to a source close to Mr Menzies, the MP had met a man on an online dating website and gone to the man’s flat, before subsequently going with another man to a second address where he continued drinking. He was sick at one point and several people at the address demanded £5,000, claiming it was for cleaning up and other expenses.
Watch: Sunak says Tories have plan six times in 40 seconds
Rishi Sunak says Tories have ‘plan’ six times in 40-second interview
Rishi Sunak mentioned how his party’s “plan” is working six times in just a 40-second interview. The prime minister appeared on Sky News on Wednesday (17 April) after it was announced inflation in the UK had fallen to 3.2 percent, down from 3.4 percent in March. Mr Sunak said: “Our plan is working and our simple message would be if we stick to that plan, people can have confidence there’s a brighter future.” He later said inflation has fallen “because we have a plan, and that plan is working”. Before adding: “We have to stick to that plan if we all want the brighter future we want to see and that’s why our plan is so important.”
Home Secretary says Labour ‘terrified’ Rwanda scheme will work
Home secretary James Cleverly insisted that Labour are desperate to delay or disrupt Rwanda bill in a statement issued after it was sent back to the Commons again.
James Cleverly said in a statement: “Terrified that the Rwanda scheme will work, and desperate to delay or disrupt over a hundred votes about stopping the boats, Labour have acted again to block the passage of the Rwanda Bill.
“It’s been another politically cynical effort by them, who have no alternative deterrent and no plan to tackle illegal migration, to frustrate the only solution on offer.”
He added that Labour is “uncomfortable with tackling immigration” which is why the party will “clearly stop at nothing to stop the planes”.
UK seals Vietnam deal to deter illegal migration
The Home Office has confirmed a new deal with Vietnam to strengthen collaboration on efforts to tackle illegal migration, including through deterrence communication campaigns and intelligence-sharing.
Officials said the agreement would “continue to facilitate the process for the return of those with no right to remain in the UK” and lead to the development of a joint action plan to tackle human trafficking.
Vietnamese nationals made up 5% of small boat arrivals in the UK last year, up from 1% in 2022 but the same proportion as in 2021, Home Office figures show.
From 2018 to the end of 2023, there were 3,356 Vietnamese small boat arrivals, putting Vietnam in the top 10 source countries.
Mr Tomlinson, said: “This agreement is an important step with a valued partner to ensure we are working in lockstep to end exploitation by people-smuggling gangs, and to save lives.”
Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Sunak’s plan
Lords insist on exemption for overseas heroes
The Lords have now dealt a further blow to the Rwanda legislation, again backing an exemption from removal for those who worked with the UK military or government overseas, such as Afghan interpreters.
The Lords’ insistence on the amendments – by 247 votes to 195, majority 52 – ensures a fourth round of “ping pong” over the Bill, where legislation is batted between the two Houses until agreement is reached.
The legislation will now be sent back to the Commons for MPs to consider the latest changes by peers.
