UK government’s contested illegal ‘cruel’ immigration plan to become law, UN concerned
- Britain struck a deal to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda last year, but the policy has been tied up in the courts after it was declared ‘unlawful’
- The plan has been criticised by some opposition politicians, lawyers, and civil rights groups as inhumane, cruel and ineffective
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s highly contested plan to make it easier to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is set to become law after the government defeated attempts by parliament’s upper house to make changes to the legislation.
The Illegal Migration Bill had been stuck in a battle between parliament’s House of Commons and the House of Lords, Britain’s unelected upper chamber, which had repeatedly made changes to the legislation to water it down.
In the early hours of Tuesday, the last of those proposed changes was voted down. It can now go for Royal Assent, where it is formally approved by the king and becomes law.
The plan to deport asylum seekers has been criticised by some opposition politicians, lawyers, and civil rights groups as inhumane, cruel and ineffective.
The United Nations said the bill is at odds with London’s obligations under international law.
The bill “is at variance with the country’s obligations under international human rights and refugee law and will have profound consequences for people in need of international protection”, the UN refugee and human rights chiefs said in a joint statement.