Parliament set to vote on controversial Rwanda migration plan
The British parliament is about to hold a crucial vote on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s flagship migration policy of sending asylum seekers who arrive illegally in Britain to Rwanda. The vote is set to take place around 1900 GMT and is Sunak’s biggest parliamentary test since taking office.
After the UK Supreme Court ruled last month that Rwanda was an unsafe place to send those arriving in small boats on England’s southern coast, Sunak has brought forward emergency legislation to override domestic and international human rights law in order to proceed with the plan. The move has deeply divided his Conservative party, potentially putting his position in jeopardy.
Some Conservative lawmakers are pushing for a complete ban on asylum seekers having any legal means to appeal against deportation, while others are calling for a new bill to be presented.
Even if the legislation passes in the parliament, Sunak is likely to face attempts to toughen it up with amendments at later stages, as well as opposition in the House of Lords, the unelected upper chamber.
The battle over the migration plan has echoes of previous parliamentary showdowns over Brexit and could spell trouble for Sunak’s leadership, given that he has staked so much on this policy.
Opposition parties have also voiced strong criticism of the plan, with Labour Party leader Keir Starmer promising to revoke the policy if his party gets into power.
As the tense vote approaches, Britain’s climate minister has been recalled from the COP28 summit in Dubai and Sunak has hosted last-ditch talks with right-wing Conservative lawmakers in a bid to gain their support for the legislation.
The outcome of the vote will have significant implications for the UK’s migration policy and could determine the future of Sunak’s leadership. Regardless of the result, the deeply polarized debate over migration continues to dominate British politics.