Rwanda plan

Sunak’s new asylum law still not ratified

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is making no progress with his new asylum bill. On Monday evening, the House of Lords did not ratify the treaty with Rwanda for the time being. This means that the vote on the law is now likely to be delayed.

The House of Commons had approved the Asylum Bill last week (see video above). Sunak then urged the House of Lords, the second chamber of parliament, which is made up of around 800 members, not to stand in the way of the House of Commons - apparently in vain.

The Conservative government's draft provides for migrants who come to the UK irregularly to be deported to Rwanda, regardless of their origin. They are to apply for asylum in the East African country. A return to the UK is ruled out. Rwanda is to be declared a safe third country by law for this project. However, critics accuse the country of human rights violations.

Safety requirements not met
A report had recommended that the agreement should not be signed until all security requirements had been met. The responsible committee of the House of Lords agreed with the report. Despite the vote, however, it is expected that the House of Lords will ultimately not block either the treaty or the law.

The timetable could merely be delayed. It is possible that the law will not be implemented before the next general election. The Social Democratic Labor Party is currently leading in the polls. It has already announced that it will not pursue the Rwanda plan any further.