The government’s controverisal Rwanda Bill has been approved by Parliament (Picture: Getty)
Rishi Sunak has fought off Conservative rebels to pass his flagship Rwanda Bill in Parliament, despite claims it violates international law.
Despite facing a widespread rebellion of 64 Tory MPs who threatened to shoot down the bill at the second reading yesterday, only 11 rebels ended up voting against the legislation on Wednesday night.
The rebels had pushed for an amendment which would have allowed the government to ignore emergency injunctions imposed by European judges attempting to stop asylum seeker deportation flights to east Africa from taking off.
But the rebel leaders eventually folded and said they would support the bill even without further amendments, and it passed with a majority of 44 in the House of Commons.
The Tory rebels included sacked home secretary Suella Braverman and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, along with Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates, leading figures in the New Conservatives faction which is pushing for tougher migration measures.
Lee Anderson, who resigned as deputy party chairman to back rebel amendments on Tuesday, was among at least eight others who had no vote recorded at third reading but had backed the anti-Strasbourg court amendment on Wednesday.
The Bill will now move to the House of Lords where it is expected to face serious opposition.
Speaking in the Commons ahead of tonight’s vote, Home Secretary James Cleverly attempted to assure MPs that the Bill was ‘in complete compliance with international law’ while also preventing legal challenges to deportation orders.
‘This Bill sends an unambiguously clear message that if you enter the United Kingdom illegally you cannot stay,’ Mr Cleverly said.
‘This Bill has been meticulously drafted to end the merry-go-round of legal challenges.’
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) previously said the Bill, which aims to deport refugees to Rwanda, was ‘not compatible with international refugee law.’
In November, the UK’s Supreme Court also ruled unanimously that the Bill was unlawful and not compatible with the European Convention of Human Rights, which which prohibits torture and inhuman treatment.
The ruling also cited concerns about Rwanda’s poor human rights record, and its past treatment of refugees.
Following tonight’s vote, Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf condemned the Rwanda Bill as ‘the most repugnant piece of legislation in recent history’.
‘It’s a further demonstration that Westminster’s values are not Scotland’s values,’ he said in a statement on Twitter.
‘Scotland has a proud history of welcoming those fleeing war and persecution.
‘This legislation is not in Scotland’s name.’
He was joined in his criticism by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who said the policy ‘has always been cruel, inhumane and unworkable, pursued by a weak Government fixated on party interest rather then then the national interest.’
Mr Khan said a general election was needed immediately to resolve the issue.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn criticised the Bill as an ‘appalling piece of legislation’ that ‘fails to take into account the human suffering of people forced through lack of any other alternative to try to make a very dangerous crossing across the channel’.
Meanwhile, Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the prime minister’s authority was ‘in tatters’ following the rebellion and criticised the Tory ‘chaos and carnage’.
She told reporters: ‘The only thing the Tories all seem to agree on is that the scheme is failing…the prime minister is failing and they know it.
‘He’s in office but not in power,’ she added.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson has released a statement following the third reading majority.
‘The passing of the bill tonight marks a major step in our plan to stop the boats,’ Downing Street said.
‘This is the toughest legislation ever introduced in Parliament to tackle illegal migration and will make clear that if you come here illegally you will not be able to stay.
‘It is this government and the Conservative party who have got boat crossings down by more than a third.
‘We have a plan, we have made progress and this landmark legislation will ensure we get flights off to Rwanda, deter people from making perilous journeys across the channel and stop the boats.’
The final vote tally was 320 votes in favour to 276 against, giving the government a majority of 44.