Rishi Sunak can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now.
The Conservative British government managed to push through its revised bill to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda with whips and carrots.
By a narrow margin, 313 to 269 no, the Prime Minister accepted the basis of the bill.
In the first comment, he writes on X, formerly Twitter, that:
The British people should decide for themselves who can come to our country, not criminal gangs or foreign courts. That is what this bill does.
According to Sky News, he spent much of Tuesday in private conversations and they have yet to give a clear endorsement of the plan.
In short, the new laws will partially circumvent human rights laws, allowing migrants and asylum seekers who arrive illegally in the UK to be flown to Rwanda, where the asylum process will continue.
Stop the boats
The whole thing was aimed primarily at encouraging emigrants to Britain via the English Channel in small boats.
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“Now we will work to legalize Rwanda to get flights and stop boats,” Sunak writes in X.
It won’t be that easy. The figures also mean that 38 of Sunak’s party colleagues did not support the proposal, despite none of the Conservatives voting against the proposal.
Marc Francois, head of the right-wing European Research Group (ERG), told a press conference that his group had voted no rather than a rejection vote – and Sunak promised to meet them with sterner writing on future amendments.
Otherwise, they say, the next round will be difficult after the New Year, when the proposal is passed through committees.
Security of Rwanda
A major issue in Rwanda is security. Not enough assurance, the Supreme Court ruled in November, that their strike on the law set the current letter in motion.
But the opposition says the plan does nothing for the African nation’s security.
– Not at all. In a House of Commons debate on Tuesday, it said Rwanda was safe and British courts could not say otherwise.
At the same time, 192 kilometers southwest of Westminster, reality reminded itself. One of the asylum seekers awaiting a decision was found dead on board the PP Stockholm boat in Dorset, which has been described as a floating prison.
facts
Facts: Asylum Agreement with Rwanda
Under the five-year deal, all migrants and asylum seekers arriving in the UK illegally can be flown to Rwanda, where asylum procedures will continue.
The British government says that no one sent to Rwanda is at risk of being sent to third countries where they could face persecution.
They promise to follow Rwanda’s work closely so laws are followed. The UK must pay the living expenses of the migrants, ensure they have refugee status and be allowed to stay in the UK.
The scheme aims to prevent migrants from reaching the UK by “illegal, dangerous or unwanted means”, but no flights have yet been sent to Rwanda, despite a flight scheduled to take off since June last year.
More than 45,700 migrants crossed the English Channel last year, most in small boats.
So far, the UK has given Rwanda 240 million pounds, the equivalent of 3.1 billion kroner. It is expected to pay the country £50m next year.
According to one calculation, each migrant sent to Rwanda costs the government £63,000 more than if they stayed in the UK for asylum.
Source: BBC
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