In the dispute over Great Britain’s asylum policy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was able to prevail against resistance within the Conservative Party. A bill to enable deportations to Rwanda received enough votes in the lower house on Thursday night. 320 MPs voted in favor and 276 voted against.
Fierce debate also expected in the upper house
The bill was highly controversial within the ruling Conservatives. Before the vote, some right-wing MPs threatened to vote against the law because they found it too lax. The bill now goes to the British House of Lords, where heated discussions are expected again. There is a lot at stake for Sunak. He has made “stopping the boats” one of his top five priorities after becoming prime minister in London in October 2022.
British MPs approved the asylum law with 320 votes to 276. Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament//PA Wire/empics/picture alliance
Essentially, it is about deterring migrants from coming to Great Britain in boats from France across the English Channel. To this end, migrants who arrived irregularly should be sent to Rwanda without checking their asylum application and regardless of their origin. They should then ask for asylum in the East African state, more than 6,400 kilometers away, which critics accuse of human rights violations. They are forbidden from returning to Great Britain. To this end, Rwanda should be declared a safe third country by law. A further judicial review citing human rights in Great Britain should be ruled out.
£140 million for Rwanda
The British government only signed a new contract with Rwanda at the beginning of December. In return, this country received an initial payment of 140 million pounds (the equivalent of around 163 million euros) – and the promise that the British government would provide additional money for the accommodation and care of the deported people.
Refugees are taken by a lifeboat to Dungeness in the English county of Kent (photo from August 2023) Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/empics/picture alliance
The UK Supreme Court had previously ruled that a previous treaty violated international human rights law. However, the government remained confident that it could conclude an agreement that addresses the court’s concerns. Under the new law, Rwanda is now not allowed to deport asylum seekers to a country where their life or freedom is threatened. There will also be a control committee for complaints and a new appeals body against deportations.
UNHCR: Violation of the Geneva Refugee Convention
The Sunak government’s plan continues to meet with massive criticism from human rights organizations as well as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). They see this as a violation of international agreements, including the Geneva Refugee Convention. The fact that the government wants to place itself above the courts by law also violates the separation of powers. British human rights laws would also be ignored and circumvented with the new law, it said.
sti/AR (afp, dpa, rtr, epd)