Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill Suffers First Defeats in UK House of Lords
- Peers back amendment pushing migrant bill to comply with law
- Sets the bill up for a back-and-forth with elected Commons
The House of Lords inflicted the first defeats on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government as it tries to pass controversial legislation designed to enable the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda.
The government’s bill seeks to designate Rwanda a “safe” destination for deportees, despite a Supreme Court ruling last year that refugees risked being forcibly sent on to their home countries where they could suffer harm. Peers late Monday passed amendments in five separate votes removing Rwanda’s designation as already “safe,” stipulating that the government must maintain “full compliance with domestic and international law,” and adding more safeguards for human rights.