UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation bill faced fresh opposition from Conservatives and Labour in the House of Lords.Tory and Labour peers warned of their belief that the Safety of Rwanda Bill would set a dangerous precedent for Britain.The PM’s bill, which aims to overcome a Supreme Court ruling blocking the government from deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, is making its way through the upper chamber.After Mr Sunak’s deportation scheme with the east African nation was ruled unlawful, based on judges’ assessment that Rwanda is not a safe country for asylum seekers, the prime minister introduced a bill deeming the country safe in British law.Sunak visits a bus depot in Harrogate, North Yorkshire on MondayIt has passed the House of Commons, but is likely to face amendments in the Lords which could threaten the government’s ability to put asylum seekers on planes before the general election expected this autumn.On Monday Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, warned peers it would be “wrong” to frustrate the bill, arguing that “we need to get this Bill through Parliament”.But, debating the bill on Monday evening, peers from across the upper chamber tore into the bill’s implications.Tory peer Lord Tugendhat said: “I have been a member of Parliament for a very long time on and off, and I have been a member of the Conservative party for some 66 years when I counted it up, and I do have to say that I find it quite extraordinary that the party of Margaret Thatcher should be introducing a Bill of this kind.”The Conservative grandee, whose nephew is security minister Tom Tugendhat, claimed the Bill could have an impact on the UK’s perception as a “marvellous place to do business because of our great respect for the rule of law”.Lord Tugendhat added: “What we are being asked to do really represents the sort of behaviour that the world associates with despots and autocracies, not with an established democracy, not with the Mother of Parliaments. It is a Bill we should not even be asked to confront, let alone pass.”Meanwhile Tory peer Viscount Hailsham said it was “manifestly untrue” to claim parliament believes Rwanda is a safe country for asylum seekers.“It is simply untrue to state that it is the judgement of Parliament that Rwanda is a safe country. That maybe the opinion of the House of Commons”, the peer said, noting MPs can come under pressure from party whips, and adding “but what is absolutely certain is that it is not the opinion of this House.”It came as peers debated the merits of amendments to the asylum bill. Those put forward include measures that would include a “sunset clause” into the bill and require the government to restate that Rwanda is a safe country every six months.It is likely that if the bill returns to the House of Commons with any amendments attached, the government will seek to strip them out. The bill would then be sent back to the House of Lords in a process known as ping-pong.During the debate, Labour peer Baroness Chakrabarti warned the bill “threatens both the domestic rule of law, especially the separation of powers, and the international rules-based order”.The barrister and human rights activist led calls for the Government to heed advice from the UN about whether Rwanda is safe before beginning deportations, adding: “I will assume that the Government does not want to put the executive of the United Kingdom on a collision course with our Supreme Court or our international legal obligations.”So amendments in this group seek to offer a way through the stalemate for people of good will from all sides of your Lordships House.”Former justice secretary Lord Falconer told peers that the bill, in its current form, could open the door to corrupt prime ministers overruling the courts to help their cronies.He said: “Suppose the prime minister has a friend or a crony in the House of Commons who is convicted in a court of corruption of some sort, and then the prime minister presents a bill to Parliament saying it it the judgment of Parliament that ‘Snooks MP’ actually wasn’t able to present this new evidence to the criminal court that convicted him, so it is the judgment of Parliament that Snooks MP is innocent.”That is the route that this particular Bill takes Parliament down.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch live as members of the House of Lords debate Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda asylum bill on Monday, 12 February, after MPs and peers warned it is “fundamentally incompatible” with the UK’s human rights obligations and would flout international law.The government’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill “risks untold damage” to the UK’s hard-won reputation as a proponent of human rights internationally, Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights said.Following a Supreme Court ruling against the plan, the controversial draft legislation and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to prevent further legal challenges to the stalled deportation scheme.The bill seeks to limit asylum seekers’ ability to appeal against being put on a flight to the east African country.Under the proposed legislation, judges would be compelled to regard Rwanda as safe and people could therefore be deported there.However, the crossbench committee of MPs and Lords said they were “not persuaded that Parliament can be confident that Rwanda is now safe. In any event, we consider that the courts are best placed to resolve such contested issues of fact.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBritain has imposed sanctions on four Israeli individuals, saying they “threatened and perpetrated acts of aggression and violence” against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.It follows a similar move by the US, which recently imposed sanctions on several Israeli settlers accused of violence against Palestinians.The news comes as the foreign secretary and prime minister called on Israel to “stop and think seriously” before taking further action in Rafah in the south of Gaza.Speaking to reporters in East Kilbride, Scotland, Lord David Cameron said that the government are “very concerned” about the situation in Rafah and wants “Israel to stop and think seriously before it takes any further action.”The government notice said that the most recent sanctions will target extremist Israeli settlers who have “violently attacked Palestinians” in the occupied West Bank.The sanctions will impose financial and travel restrictions in a bid to tackle continued settler violence which threatens West Bank stability. The government notice said those sactioned have used “physical aggression, threatened families at gunpoint, and destroyed property as part of a targeted and calculated effort to displace Palestinian communities.”The foreign secretary has called for Israel to stop and think before it takes further military action Foreign secretary Lord Cameron said: “Today’s sanctions place restrictions on those involved in some of the most egregious abuses of human rights. We should be clear about what is happening here. Extremist Israeli settlers are threatening Palestinians, often at gunpoint, and forcing them off land that is rightfully theirs. “This behaviour is illegal and unacceptable. Israel must also take stronger action and put a stop to settler violence. Too often, we see commitments made and undertakings given, but not followed through.He added: “Extremist settlers, by targeting and attacking Palestinian civilians, are undermining security and stability for both Israelis and Palestinians.”Downing Street has echoed the foreign secretary’s calls for Israel to “stop and think seriously” before carrying out military action against Hamas in Rafah, southern Gaza.The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “We are obviously deeply concerned about the prospect of a military offensive in Rafah.“Over half of Gaza’s population are sheltering there and that crossing is vital to ensuring aid can reach the people who desperately need it“The priority in Gaza must be an immediate pause in the fighting to get aid in and hostages out, such that we can then make progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe housing secretary Michael Gove has insisted that the government will follow through with its plan to ban no-fault evictions before the next election, despite repeated delays to the legislation.The Conservative party‘s 2019 manifesto pledged to outlaw Section 21 – a provision that allows landlords to evict tenants without having to give a reason outside of a tenancy agreement. But the legislation has been continuously delayed, leading housing campaigners to question the government’s commitment.The renters reform bill, which contains provisions to outlaw the practice, has been going through parliament, but is now not expected to be debated again until next month.The Renters Reform Bill has been continually delayed A further 30,230 landlords started no-fault eviction court proceedings in 2023 – a 28 per cent rise in one year.On BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Gove guaranteed that no-fault evictions will be banned by the time of the general election later this year.Asked whether the practice will have ended by the time Britain goes to the polls, despite his previous concerns that the courts may not be able to cope, Mr Gove said: “We will have outlawed it, and we will put the money into the courts in order to ensure that they can enforce it.”Mr Gove’s legislation has faced significant opposition from within his own party, as nearly one in five Conservative MPs are also landlords.Late last year, a series of Conservative MPs voiced their opposition to the Renters Reform Bill, saying it would add “to the burden of landlords”.In the Commons, Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh told MPs: “Banning no-fault evictions will make the rental market even more stagnant and will lead to a further drying up of it.”He added: “And apart from adding to the burden of landlords, we don’t want a situation that happened in Ireland, where the regulatory burdens on landlords is such that the rental sector has shrunk massively and governments have paid the price in terms of popularity.”Conservative MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown also said the bill would have a “disastrous effect” on areas including his constituency “in reducing the number of rental properties, and therefore increasing the price of rent, and for youngsters this is really serious”.The housing secretary also said he is doing everything he can “short of laying siege” to the Chancellor’s home to persuade him to put more money into housing in the spring Budget.Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said the bill would reduce the number of rental properties in The Cotswolds Mr Gove said: “I’m doing everything I can, I mean short of laying siege to his own home.“Every day I send him a note or a message emphasising the importance of doing more to unlock housing supply.He added: “And he gets it. So Jeremy Hunt is someone who absolutely appreciates the importance of supporting the next generation.” Responding to Michael Gove’s comments this morning, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper MP said:“It is shocking that this Conservative government has repeatedly chosen to delay their promised ban on no-fault evictions.“Michael Gove’s words will ring hollow for those who have waited for so long for this urgently needed reform.She added: “This government has turned a blind eye to the housing crisis in this country, 16 housing ministers later, people are still facing the same problems.“Renters shouldn’t have to face losing their homes through no fault of their own any longer. Rishi Sunak and Michael Gove must stick to their promise before more and more families get caught up in these devastating consequences.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Labour candidate for Rochdale, Azhar Ali, has apologised after he reportedly said Israel had been warned about the 7 October attack and allowed it to happen.The Labour Party has issued a statement on behalf of the candidate after the Mail on Sunday published comments from a recording of him telling the Lancashire Labour Party that Israel had been warned of the attack before it happened, but they “deliberately took the security off”.Mr Ali is alleged to have said: “The Egyptians are saying that they warned Israel 10 days earlier… Americans warned them a day before [that] there’s something happening… They deliberately took the security off, they allowed… that massacre that gives them the green light to do whatever they bloody want.”The Labour councillor is also alleged to have said that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has “lost the confidence of the parliamentary party”. He said: “A lot of the MPs I’ve spoken to, non-Muslim MPs, feel that on this issue, he’s lost the confidence of the parliamentary party.”In the statement issued on Sunday morning, Mr Ali said: “I apologise unreservedly to the Jewish community for my comments which were deeply offensive, ignorant, and false.“Hamas’ horrific terror attack was the responsibility of Hamas alone, and they are still holding hostages who must be released. October 7th was the greatest loss of Jewish life in a single day since the Holocaust, and Jews in the UK and across the world are living in fear of rising antisemitism. I will urgently apologise to Jewish leaders for my inexcusable comments.”He added: “The Labour Party has changed unrecognisably under Keir Starmer’s leadership, he has my full support in delivering the change Britain needs.”With the by-election just over two weeks away, it is too late for Labour to replace Mr Ali as a candidate. Labour MP Pat McFadden also told Sky News that Azhar Ali will remain as Labour’s candidate in Rochdale.The comments are likely to ignite a major row in the Labour party as Sir Keir has come under intense pressure over his handling of the Gaza crisis. In November, 56 Labour MPs rebelled and backed calls for a ceasefire. A recent Survation poll conducted for the Labour Muslim Network found that British Muslims are losing trust in Labour over its handling of the Israel-Gaza war. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is now calling for a ‘sustainable ceasefire’ following pressure in his own party to respond to the conflict in Palestine On Sky News this morning, Labour’s national campaign coordinator, Pat McFadden, said Mr Ali’s comments were “completely wrong”.The shadow frontbencher said: “He’s issued a complete apology and retraction and I hope he learns a good lesson from it because he should never have said something like that in the first place.”The Board of Deputies of British Jews have called Mr Ali’s comments “disgraceful and unforgivable”.In a statement released on X, formerly Twitter, they said: “Were it not too late to do so, we would have called on Labour to replace Mr Ali as a candidate. It is clear to us that Mr Ali is not apologising out of a genuine sense of remorse.“Despite what he says in his apology, we do not see how we could possibly engage with him at this time and we believe other leading Jewish communal groups will feel similarly.”The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region have also released a public statement condemning the comments.In a post on X, they called Mr Ali’s comments “deeply troubling” and said the “conspiratorial narrative is highly offensive, completely fictitious and at a time of record antisemitism, has the potential to exacerbate the conflict playing out across Greater Manchester and beyond.”Labour currently have a majority of more than 9,000 votes in Rochdale and 51.6 per cent of the vote. Mr Ali was selected as the candidate to represent Labour in the upcoming by-election following the death of Labour MP Sir Tony Lloyd last month. More