British Parliament votes down controversial asylum deal with Rwanda

The British House of Commons has approved a migration bill to allow deportations to Rwanda. By this, the MPs have strengthened the back of Prime Minister Sunak. The plans are highly controversial even within the conservative ruling party.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak narrowly avoided a historic defeat in Parliament in a row over new immigration laws. On second reading, a majority of MPs voted in favor of a hastily introduced government bill aimed at saving an asylum deal with Rwanda that had been declared illegal by the High Court.

Controversial projects – even inside Ruling Party

Earlier there was great doubt whether Sunak could get the necessary majority behind him. Both the right and moderate wings of his conservative party had major reservations about the proposed legislation. At the last minute, however, the government managed to convince ultra-conservative MPs not to vote against the draft by offering concessions. In the end, 313 voted in favor of the bill and 269 against.

Otherwise, according to reports, it would be the first time since 1986 that a bill has failed its second reading – Sunak could have faced political doom. However, the dispute is unlikely to be resolved by a winning vote.

Rwanda should be declared a safe third country

To prevent migrants, London wants to send irregular arrivals to Rwanda in the future without examining their asylum applications and regardless of their origin. Instead, they must seek safety there – with no plans to return to Great Britain. However, the British Supreme Court raised concerns about the Rwandan asylum process and declared the program illegal in mid-November. In response, the British government released draft legislation a week ago.

The new text defines Rwanda as a safe third country and also prevents the deportation of migrants from the East African country to countries where they are at risk of persecution. It also proposes not to apply parts of the UK Human Rights Act to deportations, limiting legal support for migrants.

Critics, including his own party, accused him of flouting the principles of the law. For others, abundance doesn’t go far enough. Hardliners are also calling for a withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights, so that victims can no longer turn to the European Court of Human Rights. Sunak has so far denied this.

Sunak wants to end irregular entry of migrants

Several conservative groups within the Tory group announced they would not vote shortly before the referendum. However, they threatened to fail the third reading of the bill in the new year.

Sunak, whose Tories are lagging behind opposition Labor in the polls, has made ending the irregular entry of migrants in small boats across the English Channel a central focus of his government. In 2022 alone, around 45,000 people arrived in Great Britain this way. This number has dropped significantly so far this year. However, the promise is not considered fulfilled.

So far, £240m has already arrived in Rwanda, with another £50m due next year – but so far not a single migrant has been deported there.