Editorial 23 April 2024.
Many of Tuesday’s front pages report on the government’s latest efforts to get its Rwanda asylum policy passed into law.
Many of the right-leaning newspapers that back the current government celebrate the news that Parliament has passed the Rwanda bill following late-night sitting and months of wrangling. They claim that the policy will act as a deterrent and as soon as flights start to take off, migrants will stop attempting to cross the channel.
The left-leaning newspapers suggest the bill will not work as a deterrent, and along with rights groups say the bill “trashes international law” while “putting torture survivors and other refugees at risk”, and challenges in the courts could still hold up the scheme, proving the whole policy to be a waste of time and money.
Rwanda bill
passes in the lords after months of wrangling
But is it all fantasy?
Most left-wing papers do not believe the government’s flagship policy will actually work as a deterrent and will prove to be a waste of taxpayer money.
Elsewhere, many of the papers leave room on the front pages to cover Huw Edwards – the former BBC presenter who has not been on air due to an alleged sex scandal. Yesterday he announced he has quit the BBC on “medical advice”.
Away from domestic news, a couple of the papers leave room for front-page coverage of Donald Trump’s NYC case.
‘Rwanda policy passes in the Lords’
Parliament has passed PM Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda bill after a late-night sitting. The bill designates Rwanda as a safe country. It is a key part of the government’s plans to send some asylum seekers there, in a bid to deter illegal crossings of the channel.
Opposition parties criticised it but following several debates, the Lords have dropped their objections.
The Metro leads on Rwanda. The paper quotes from a press conference held by the PM ahead of the vote in both Houses of Parliament on Monday night. “Enough is enough,” he said. No more prevarication, no more delay. Parliament will sit there tonight and vote no matter how late it goes. No ifs, no buts.”
The Times says the government has already chartered planes that would enable flights to get off the ground in 10 to 12 weeks and that the PM wants to see a “regular rhythm, of multiple flights every month” over the summer and beyond.
The Daily Mail says migrants will “soon be detained ahead of deportation” and quotes the PM calling the preparations for the flights “one of the most complex operational endeavours the Home Office has carried out”. “We’re ready for Rwanda lift-off”, reads the headline. The paper has long been a supporter of the policy.
The Telegraph reminds readers that Rishi Sunak has pledged a regular “drumbeat” of multiple flights every month through the “summer and beyond” once the scheme is operational.
The i newspaper says Tory critics have warned Sunak that the scheme “won’t work.” The paper says backbenchers have challenged Sunak to ensure 2,000 people are deported within six months but that Tory sources close to the scheme think the figure is too optimistic. One figure from the right of the party is quoted saying: “None of it will happen. Rishi’s in la-la land.”
The Independent asks “Flight or Fantasy?” – the paper carries a warning from MPs that flights to Rwanda will remain grounded, despite the bill, because of legal challenges.
The Guardian’s take on the news is to note that the flights will not take off until July as the PM acknowledges a “further delay” to the policy.
‘Huw Edwards resigns’
Many of the papers feature pictures of BBC news presenter Huw Edwards, who has resigned from his role on “medical advice.”
Edwards had been off the air since last July following reports claiming he paid a young person for sexually explicit images
The Sun – which published the initial story – spoke to the family of the young person involved. They have told the paper they are worried that because Edwards has resigned they will not get the answers they need.
The Express leads on the story, saying Edwards was the BBC’s “highest-profile news host, often chosen to present its coverage of major events”, including the death of the Queen in 2022.
The i’s headline suggests the investigation into his behaviour will be kept under wraps due to Edwards quitting the broadcaster. Whilst the Times says he has quit without a payout.
‘Trump on trial’
Several of the papers feature images of Donald Trump as his hush-money case trial opens in NYC after a week of jury selection.
Elsewhere, the Guardian leads on the Met Police boss Mark Rowley who has praised the “professional” conduct of a copper who stopped an antisemitism campaigner from crossing a pro-Palestinian rally in London earlier this month.
The force has been criticised over footage in which the officer could be heard telling Gideon Falter he was worried what would happen if Falter crossed the rally because he was “openly Jewish”. In an interview with the paper, Rowley acknowledges that the officer’s choice of words was “clumsy and offensive” but adds: “The sergeant… clearly assessed that there was a risk of confrontation and was trying to help Falter. The wider actions and intent of the officer were professional and in the best tradition of British police trying to prevent disorder.”
The Daily Mirror leads on an exclusive into the murder of TV presenter Jill Dando. The paper reports that “facial mapping” has shown that the man wanted for questioning about the 1999 murder bears a resemblance to a former assassin for Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic.
The FT says the FTSE 100 rose 1.6% on Monday to close at an all-time high. The paper says the rally of the index – which tracks the value of the 100 largest companies listed on the London Stock Exchange – has been spurred by a weaker pound and boosted corporate valuations amid rising expectations of interest rate cuts later this year.