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Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak is facing a fresh headache when the Rwanda deportation bill returns to the House of Lords, with peers set to impose a fresh defeat on the prime minister.The Safety of Rwanda bill will return to the upper chamber on Wednesday, with peers expected to seek to amend the legislation yet again.It comes after the PM avoided a rebellion over his flagship plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda on Monday, with MPs overturning all attempts by the House of Lords to change his deportation legislation.It meant Mr Sunak maintained his hope of flights to Kigali taking off this spring, but further delays by peers could still frustrate the PM’s plans.The Prime Minister said he was still committed to the timeline (Yui Mok/PA)The government saw off 10 amendments from peers to the Safety of Rwanda bill, after a minister had accused the Lords of trying to “wreck” the legislation.But the parliamentary showdown over the flagship Bill will continue on Wednesday, when peers will again seek to press for changes in a process known as “ping-pong”.Labour is poised to back around five amendments to the bill, which if passed could see passage of the legislation delayed for weeks.Former Labour lord chancellor Charlie Falconer said it is time to “rally all our troops” to defeat the Rwanda Bill and to try to hold out “for as long as possible.”The Labour peer said Tories who rarely appear in the upper chamber would be “bussed in” to back the government.But Lord Falconer told Times Radio: “”I think we’ve got to rally all our troops tomorrow to try to defeat it. I suspect we may well defeat many of these pronged back amendments from the Commons tomorrow.”A win for us is holding out for as long as possible. Holding on to the next election may not be achievable, but what may be achievable is that it takes so long that the government can’t get any of its flights to Rwanda.”The latest Lords amendments, aimed at adding additional safeguards for asylum seekers to the PM’s hardline legislation, will be published on Tuesday before being voted on on Wednesday.If further amendments are passed in the upper chamber it could delay the next round of ping pong until mid-April, when parliament returns from Easter recess.Stephen Kinnock said amendments to the Rwanda bill made it ‘marginally less absurd’ The prime minister said on Monday that “everyone is trying to block” the Rwanda bill from being enacted.Mr Sunak said: “I am still committed to the timeline that I set out previously, which is that we aim to get a flight off in the spring.“It’s important that we get the Rwanda scheme up and running because we need to have a deterrent.“We need to make it clear that if you come here illegally, you won’t be able to stay and we will be able to remove you. That is the only way to properly solve the issue of illegal migration.”One of the amendments previously backed by peers but overturned by MPs would have prevented Afghan heroes who supported British troops from being deported to Rwanda.Other amendments overturned included an attempt by peers to ensure the bill complied with domestic and international law, and a requirement that parliament could not declare Rwanda a safe country until the treaty with its promised safeguards was fully implemented.Labour’s shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said the changes put forward made the bill “marginally less absurd”.The plan, which aims to send asylum seekers on a one way flight to Rwanda, was dealt a blow when it was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court last November. The Safety of Rwanda bill seeks to rule it a “safe” country in British law, blocking asylum seekers from being aple to appeal deportations. It will cost taxpayers more than £500m, according to a report by the National Audit Office, which found that the cost per individual asylum seeker deported could be £1.92m. Labour has described the plan as a “national scandal”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has rejected a plan to stop Afghan heroes who supported British troops from being deported to Rwanda.MPs on Monday night overturned all 10 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 an “exposed or meaningful manner” from being deported to the east African country.Some 312 MPs voted against the Lords amendment, with 255 voting in favour, giving the government a majority of 57.The other amendments overturned included an attempt by peers to ensure the bill complied with domestic and international law, and a requirement that parliament could not declare Rwanda a safe country until the treaty with its promised safeguards was fully implemented.Ahead of the votes, the prime minister was told it was a “moral imperative” that Afghan heroes who supported British troops should not be deported to Rwanda.Shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said it “beggars belief” that the PM was considering putting Afghan heroes on deportation flights.Stephen Kinnock said it is a ‘moral imperative’ for the government to ensure Afghan heroes are not put on Rwanda deportation flights “We owe a debt of gratitude to those who have supported our defence, diplomacy and development abroad, not least in Afghanistan,” Mr Kinnock said.The call to help those who supported UK forces came after a series of reports by The Independent that highlighted the plight of Afghan heroes facing deportation to Rwanda after feeling forced to take dangerous routes to the UK.Earlier on Monday, MPs debated the 10 amendments peers attached to Mr Sunak’s flagship immigration policy, which was designed to allow ministers to deport those who arrive in the UK via irregular routes, such as on small boats, to Rwanda.After an earlier bid to deport asylum seekers to Kigali was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court, Mr Sunak sought to rule Rwanda a safe country in British law and the vote passed.The bill will now go back to the House of Lords as the two houses try to find common ground on the way forward.The Independent has reported on the plight of Aghan heroes threatened with deportation to RwandaPeers will then be able to pass fresh amendments, but the government will again try to strip them out in a process known as ping pong.Mr Kinnock said on Monday: “It beggars belief that the government would even consider sending this cohort of heroes who are fleeing the Taliban to Rwanda.“Britain’s commitment towards these loyal-to-Britain Afghans is felt most strongly by our own armed forces.“But this government has continually shirked its responsibilities towards Afghans, including by leaving thousands of those with the right to be in the UK stranded in Pakistan for more than a year.“Little wonder that they have resorted to making these desperate journeys across the channel.”During the debate, Conservative former minister Sir John Hayes questioned whether peers were “clueless or careless” about what is happening with immigration.“Any attempts to wreck this bill is an open-door policy to let human traffickers traffic people illegally into our country, to upset our local communities and ultimately, unfortunately, more people will die if this bill doesn’t go through because of the loss of life in the Channel,” he told the Commons. Prior to the votes, Labour said it planned to back all 10 Lords amendments in the Commons, claiming they made the bill “marginally less absurd”.Home office minister Michael Tomlinson defended the government’s plans Home Office minister Michael Tomlinson earlier said the government “greatly values” those who supported Britain’s armed forces overseas. “That is why there are legal routes for them to come to the United Kingdom,” he added.Mr Tomlinson said the illegal migration act passed by parliament last year lets the home secretary specify some people as not eligible for removal. He added: “The government recognises the commitment and the responsibility that comes with combat veterans, whether our own or those who showed courage by serving alongside us and we will not let them down.”He also insisted there was nothing in the Rwanda bill which conflicted with the UK government’s international obligations.Mr Tomlinson told the Commons: “This bill is an essential element of our wider strategy to protect our borders and stop the boats to prevent the tragic loss of lives at sea caused by dangerous, illegal and unnecessary crossings across the Channel.”On amendment one, which sought to ensure the bill complies with domestic and international law, Mr Tomlinson said: “I don’t accept that the provisions of the bill undermine the rule of law, and the government takes its responsibilities and its international obligations incredibly seriously.“And there’s nothing in the bill that requires any act or omission which conflicts with our international obligations.”He added: “This bill is based on both Rwanda’s and the United Kingdom’s compliance with international law in the form of a treaty, which itself recognises and reflects the international legal obligations of both the United Kingdom and also of Rwanda.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch as MPs vote on changes made in the House of Lords to the government’s Rwanda bill on Monday 18 March. Rishi Sunak said he still hopes to get a flight carrying asylum seekers to Rwanda off the ground this spring as he braced for a parliamentary showdown over the scheme.MPs are expected to reject changes made by the Lords to the Rwanda legislation, setting up a battle with peers which could delay the Bill’s passage until after Easter.Downing Street said the government believed it had “the right Bill” and “it remains our plan to get it through as quickly as possible”.When the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill was in the Lords, peers rewrote it with a total of 10 changes which watered down the legislation.With a Tory majority in the House of Commons, the government will seek to reverse the defeats from the Lords, sending the Bill back to the upper chamber on Wednesday – a process known as ping-pong. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA Labour MP has apologised for an “outburst” after he was heard swearing in the Commons chamber.Clive Lewis could be heard loudly saying “s***” before he walked out of the room, as MPs voted on the Government’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.But the Norwich South MP later said it happened after he received a message which “caused me some consternation and surprise” and was not directed at any particular individual.Deputy Speaker Sir Roger Gale had told the chamber: “I’m informed that a Member swore at one of the doorkeepers this evening who on my instructions lock the doors.“If that person is identified the consequences will be very severe.”MPs have a time limit to vote during a division and doorkeepers are instructed to lock the doors to the voting lobby once this elapses.But Mr Lewis later made a point of order to say: “I’d like to put on record if I could my apologies to the chamber, to members and members of staff, for an earlier outburst I had.“If I could very quickly explain, I received a message which caused me some consternation and surprise to which I made an outburst in general at no-one specifically.“If I could do it again I’d probably have said something like ‘my giddy aunt’, rather what did come out of my mouth, and for that I apologise.“But just to clear the air and put on record the fact that it was directed at no-one in particular.”Sir Roger replied: “I appreciate the honourable gentleman’s candour in identifying himself and the fullness of the nature of his apology, which is accepted.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMPs have been shown a Scottish-made “unicorn” satellite as they heard from companies in the country’s space sector.Tom Walkinshaw, CEO of the Glasgow-based satellite manufacturer Alba Orbital, brought one of his company’s Unicorn-2 products to the House of Commons to show members of the Scottish Affairs Committee.The company specialises in making “picosatellites” which weigh less than one kilogram.It has launched 41 of them so far, including 15 Unicorns built in Glasgow, with the rest being from partners around the world.The company was started by Mr Walkinshaw from his bedroom and has grown rapidly, recently raising money through the Y Combinator venture capital process which has linked some of the US’s largest technology companies with investors.Along with Steve Greenland of Craft Prospect Ltd, Mr Walkinshaw gave evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee on Monday as part of its inquiry into the Scottish space sector.Showing the Unicorn-2 to the committee at the start of the hearing, Mr Walkinshaw said it had been “fun” taking it past the Commons’ security.Committee convener Pete Wishart said: “It’s probably the first time a satellite has ever been produced at a Westminster select committee.“So congratulations, a trailblazer in that regard.”The Unicorn-2 is named after Scotland’s national animal and can feature a camera for Earth observation missions and pop-out solar panels, with the Alba Orbital founder saying “it’s a fully functional little satellite that does everything a bigger satellite can do, but in a smaller form factor”.However, larger satellite are able to use cameras with higher definition, he said.Discussing how the Scottish space sector received support from governments, Mr Walkinshaw said the burden of audit requirements from the European Space Agency was one of the reasons they were forced to go to the US for venture capital funding.Alba Orbital carries out its satellite licencing process in Germany, he said, describing the UK’s regulatory system for satellites as “out of date”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBarack Obama has visited Downing Street for a surprise meeting at No 10 with Rishi Sunak. The former US president – who served in the White House between 2009 and 2017 – waved at reporters outside before he entered the prime minister’s residence for a previously undisclosed private meeting at 3pm. A Downing Street spokesperson insisted the visit was an “informal courtesy drop in” as part of the former president’s visit to London.They added: “President Obama’s team made contact and obviously the prime minister was very happy to to meet with him and discuss the work of the Obama Foundation.”Mr Obama left No 10 after around an hour following a meeting with Mr Sunak.The former US president said “I’m tempted” when asked questions by the media as he re-emerged and got into a Range Rover car with Jane D Hartley, the US ambassador to the UK, just after 4pm.Former US president Barack Obama leaves following a meeting at 10 Downing Street, LondonThe Barack Obama Foundation is a nonprofit organisation focused on social mobility that was founded by the former president back in 2014.The last time Mr Obama visited Downing Street was eight years ago in 2016.The former president met with then prime minister David Cameron at Number 10 for talks ahead of the Brexit vote.He warned the UK would be at the “back of the queue” for US trade deals if it left the European Union.The two leaders also held a joint news conference at the Foreign Office. Mr Obama said the US “wants Britain’s influence to grow – including within Europe”.The talks come as Mr Sunak said he has “confidence for the future: as he battles to shore up his position as prime minister following rumours that his party is looking to replace him ahead of a general election.Mr Sunak’s failure to turn around the Tories’ opinion poll deficit has fuelled speculation about Conservative MPs considering replacing him with Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt in an attempt to avoid a general election disaster.Business secretary Kemi Badenoch told plotters seeking to oust the prime minister to “stop messing around” and end the “Westminster psychodrama”.Ms Badenoch suggested “one or two MPs” are behind the Westminster rumours and they should not be allowed to “dominate the news narrative”.She told BBC Breakfast: “I’m sure if Penny was here, she would be distancing herself from those comments.”Ms Mordaunt has not publicly commented on reports about a bid to elevate her to the Tory leadership, but a source close to her rejected them as “nonsense”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailWatch as Rishi Sunak set out the Conservatives’ pledge to create up to 20,000 more apprenticeships in a speech on Monday, 18 March.The prime minister detailed plans the government says will fully fund training for young people and cut red tape for small businesses.Mr Sunak’s reforms “will unlock a tidal wave of opportunity”, he said.The announcement was made at a conference for small firms in Warwickshire.Under the plans, the government will pay the full cost of apprenticeships for under-21-year-olds in small businesses from 1 April in a move aimed at reducing burdens for employers and providing more professional training places for young people.It comes as Mr Sunak’s premiership faces a threat from a chaotic plot of backbench Tory MPs who want to replace him with Penny Mordaunt before the general election.Politicians from across the party are said to have met and held talks about “coronating” the leader of the House of Commons as prime minister in what would be the Tories’ sixth PM since the 2010 general election. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailKemi Badenoch has dismissed the row over Tory donor Frank Hester’s alleged comments about Diane Abbott as “trivia” and insisted the Conservative Party should not return the businessman’s £10m donation. The business secretary, who last week described Mr Hester’s reported remarks as racist, said the country needed to “move away” from the row, claiming it did not matter to the general public and that it was “pure media bubble speculation”.It was reported last week that Mr Hester said Ms Abbott – the longest-serving Black MP – made him “want to hate all black women” and that she “should be shot”.Downing Street originally refused to condem the comments as racist but Ms Badenoch defied the official line and did so. Rishi Sunak later said the remarks were “racist and wrong”.Speaking to LBC, she said “we need to get to a place where we stop chasing people around and looking everywhere for the racism”. Business secretary Kemi Badenoch will host a conference for small businesses “Everybody is accusing, and counter-accusing around racism,” she continued. “We need to move away from these things and actually focus on what matters to people.”She added: “Now, this is trivia. I’m sorry, but I really do believe it is.“I am afraid is not really in the high priorities of how we deal with racism in this country.”On BBC Breakfast, she added: “You are interested in the story from last week, which has been apologised for and everyone has moved on… This is something that is pure media bubble speculation. It is not what the country cares about.”The minister said she had condemned the alleged comments “in a personal capacity as the only black woman in the cabinet” as she defended the prime minister’s response. She said: “I don’t want a prime minister who is just going to be lurching out, making comments every five minutes in response to the media.“What he is not doing is following the media’s lead, and I’m very pleased that he agreed with me, but I was making my comments in a personal capacity as the only black woman in the Cabinet.”Tory donor Frank Hester gave the Conservative party £10m in 2023 Ms Badenoch also said the Conservatives should not have to return the money and that the comments made by Mr Hester weren’t “even really about” Ms Abbott.Asked about returning the donation, she said: “I’m actually quite surprised that people suggest this. This was something that happened five years ago. He wasn’t talking to Diane Abbott. It wasn’t even really about Diane Abbott. He used her in a reference that was completely unacceptable. He’s apologised for it.“I think that it is far more important that we accept the apology and not moving on is taking too much attention away from what is actually meaningful to the people around the country.”Asked whether she was suggesting the Tories were happy to take money from people who make racist remarks, Ms Badenoch replied: “The point I’m making is that when people apologise, they should be forgiven.“And these comments were in no way reflective of the work that he has been doing while we have taken his money.” More