John Redwood (Wokingham) (Con):
Many people share the Government’s ambition to stop the boats. Would these Lords amendments not muddle the legislation in a way that, once again, would leave us open to an unnecessary court challenge? Can he reassure us that, unamended, the Bill will do the job?
Michael Tomlinson:
I know my right hon. Friend has taken a close interest in the Bill since the outset, and he is right. The amendments fall into two categories: those that are simply unnecessary and those that are worse than unnecessary. The second group are wrecking amendments deliberately designed to prevent the very things that the Bill was designed to do—namely, stopping the boats and getting the planes off the ground.
My hon. Friend the Member for Stone (Sir William Cash) has previously accused me of repeating myself from time to time—heaven forfend—but he is right, because our approach is justified as a matter of parliamentary sovereignty and constitutional propriety. Indeed, my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for South Swindon (Sir Robert Buckland) has even said that it is not unprecedented, and he is right. It also meets our international obligations.
April 21, 2024
Is France meeting her international obligations? Why don’t we take the boat and it’s people and get the RN to escort them into Irish waters?
April 21, 2024
If its okay and lawful to send them to Rwanda, than why isn’t it okay to send them to the Hebrides (1000x times cheaper) military camp or even any other UK secure military camp
You can only send 500 to Rwanda but you can send 5,000 to the Hebrides
April 21, 2024
The Hebrides should be made the first reception center and not Kent
April 22, 2024
The Hebridean will not like that! Anyway, that allows the Govt to give these criminals British Citizenship.
April 23, 2024
They could make a new law stopping citizenship
April 21, 2024
The goings on is a mere drop in the ocean (or channel).
April 22, 2024
True …it diverts attention from the annual 1,100,000+ legal immigrants by making a fuss over less than 50,000 unloaded by France.
April 22, 2024
I don’t believe the Government has any ambition at all to stop the boats. If it did, they would have stopped by now but they keep coming. The flow is relentless. We have a border force charged with protecting our borders and a Royal Navy charged with protecting our country and its citizens. Neither is doing its job.
The Government knows that we tax-paying citizens are fed up with the ever-rising costs of housing illegal migrants in hotels so why is the answer,as far as the Government is concerned, to find alternative cheaper accommodation rather than to send them back?
I do wish the media (probably at the behest of the Government) would stop reporting that illegal-migrant boats were ‘intercepted’ in the Channel. This is the definition of the word intercept: ‘to take, seize, or halt (someone or something on the way from one place to another); cut off from an intended destination’. All the RNLI and Border Force boats do is taxi the migrants onto our shores. They do not intercept in any way whatsoever.
April 22, 2024
Kathy,
Agreed. It’s just more talk to give the appearance that the issue is being addressed.
April 22, 2024
kicking the can (of worms) down the road…
April 22, 2024
Sunak has stopped talking about the boats and his pledge
April 22, 2024
Agreed, “Many people share the Government’s ambition to stop the boats” but this Rwanda scheme is not going to do that. Will the traffickers’s advertising slogan be “Get admitted to the UK for free and ample handouts and automatically be entered into a prize draw for a fully expensed holiday in Rwanda first”?
One is left to suppose this government persists with this scheme variously because it has foolishly committed itself, has no other plan, and can pretend it would have delivered success and so shame upon a Starmer-led government for abandoning efforts to get it started.
April 22, 2024
I am afraid the people who matter – our permanent government – are in favour of No Borders. This government sky rocketed the immigration of low-skilled people from outside Europe who will be state dependent or reduce GDP per capita, a measure long abandoned here. Labour will be able to reduce immigration by 50,000 per year and claim victory while bloating their voter base.
April 22, 2024
I’m bored with the Rwanda saga. It’s already cost us a fortune and is not going to achieve anything – even IF Sunak eventually manages to get it passed.
When you have a secret deal with Macron to “take our fair share” of the criminal migrants, sending a few to Rwanda won’t make a scrap of difference.
They should be returned immediately whence they came ….. which is FRANCE.
April 22, 2024
Parliament must be keeping its fingers crossed that the High Court, or failing this, the ECHR, will stop any flights to Rwanda.
I expect the Government (taxpayer) funding for those organisations who take the Government to court to stop deportations will have been increased.
April 22, 2024
I agree the solution is to send them back to France. This would stop the trade overnight.
April 23, 2024
Kick out all french fishing boats until the illegal crossing stop
April 22, 2024
The Lords have tabled and voted through an amendment that those who have supported and worked with the UK military or government overseas, such as Afghan interpreters, should not be sent to Rwanda.
That is entirely reasonable. Why would the government object to this? Why would anyone want to or trust working with UK armed forces in the future if this is the attitude of the UK government?
Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with insisting that the protections agreed in the treaty the UK signed are in place and that this is proveable. Otherwise, such protections are worthless.
Similarly, removing due legal process is unacceptable. This is the goverment attempting to put itself above the law, and that is an incredibly dangerous precedent.
April 22, 2024
@ Peter Parsons “those who have supported and worked with the UK military or government overseas, such as Afghan interpreters, should not be sent to Rwanda” – why is that at all reasonable? The employment deal was complete in itself, not extending to offering special concessions for those subsequently presenting themselves on U.K shores as economic migrants or otherwise.
April 23, 2024
I would expect and hope that those who put their own lives in danger to support and help protect our armed forces on active deployments would receive better than the threat of being shipped to Africa.
How can we expect anyone to want to work alongside UK soldiers in future conflicts if this is how we treat the Afghanis?
April 23, 2024
@ Peter Parsons – why should temporary employment with our Armed Forces overseas entitle those so employed to anothing more than the wages agreed at the time?
How can we expect the British people to agree to the Armed Forces making use of local labour if it is to mean exemption from U.K. laws on immigration?
April 23, 2024
Totally agree, as does 99% of our soldiers ….they signed a contract of employment not a contract for assistance and aid for life
April 23, 2024
PP
Agree with you on those who worked with UK Military.
April 22, 2024
‘Sunak promises Rwanda flights by July’ BBC
But July is in the summer and he pledged spring
April 23, 2024
Glen
When the facts do not fit, promise something else further into the future, simples !