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The House of Lords has snubbed fresh ministerial calls to back down in the tense stand-off over Rishi Sunak’s asylum plan – and insisted on a requirement that Rwanda cannot be treated as safe until promised protections are in place.
Peers voted by 245 votes to 208, majority 37. The fresh setback for means the wrangling will continue, after MPs again rejected amendments to the government’s flagship Rwanda Bill, renewing their battle with the Lords.
Peers had on Tuesday voted to amend the legislation for a third time, but MPs voted on Wednesday afternoon against four key amendments, including one to exempt asylum-seekers who aided UK troops overseas, such as Afghan special forces, from deportation to Rwanda.
Downing Street ruled out making concessions on its Safety of Rwanda Bill.
The government had been reportedly considering concessions, including exemptions for Afghans who assisted British forces, but the prime minister’s official spokesman ruled out any such move.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer accused “billionaires” Rishi Sunak and Tory peer Lord Ashcroft of “smearing a working class woman”, his deputy, Angela Rayner.
The pair have criticised Ms Rayner over the sale of her former council house, suggesting she may have failed to pay capital gains tax or given false information.
Also at Prime Minister’s Questions, Rishi Sunak refused to rule out cuts to the NHS and state pensions to fund a £46bn national insurance giveaway.
In full: Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers
Peers voted on Wednesday night in favour of an amendment to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill that would exempt Afghan heroes who supported UK troops overseas from being deported.
Full report:
The Rwanda bill explained: What is the controversial policy and what happens next?
Last night the House of Lords again rejected the government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
But what is the Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, when was the idea conceived and how will it work if made law?
Here’s everything we know about the plan:
Shapps: Government will do ‘whatever we need to’ to get flights off to Rwanda
The government will do “whatever we need to do” to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda, Grant Shapps has said in response to the suggestion the RAF could be used for deportation flights.
Asked whether he would allow RAF aircraft to be used, the defence secretary told Sky News: “We will do whatever we need to do to make sure that we can get these flights off, whether they are charter flights or other kinds of flights.”
He added that which aircraft took asylum seekers to Rwanda was a “secondary issue”.
No Downing Street flea problem after ‘vast’ expense of new carpets, says Hunt
Jeremy Hunt tackled the flea problem Liz Truss highlighted in Downing Street by replacing the carpets at “vast” personal expense.
In her book 10 Years To Save The West, Ms Truss – who lived in the more spacious No 11 flat rather than the accommodation above No 10 – said “the place was infested with fleas”, possibly due to Boris Johnson’s dog Dilyn although “there was no conclusive evidence”.
Ms Truss said “the entire place had to be sprayed with flea killer” and “I spent several weeks itching”.
At an event in Washington DC, Mr Hunt confirmed he had taken a more drastic, and expensive, approach.
“I actually live in the flat that Liz Truss lived in and Boris Johnson lived in before that,” he said.
“She was only there for less than 50 days. I had a little bit longer, when I knew I was going to be moving in there, and I replaced all the carpets at my own expense – vast expense because it had to be a security-cleared company that did it.
“So I’m pleased to say that the Hunt family has not had the flea problem.”
The Rwanda bill explained: What is the controversial policy and what happens next?
Ministers have designed legislation to get round legal objections and say flights could take off within weeks – but a potential stumbling block remains.
Jane Dalton explains:
ICYMI: Rishi Sunak forces through vote for total ban on smoking for those born after 2009
Full report:
Jeremy Hunt refuses to say ‘anything negative’ about Liz Truss
Jeremy Hunt refuses to say ‘anything negative’ about Liz Truss
Jeremy Hunt refused to say "anything negative" about Liz Truss as she "appointed him as chancellor." When asked by Sky News if he thought the former prime minister, who has been critical of government policy, is currently being helpful for the Conservative Party, the cabinet minister would not cast aspersions on his colleague. "I think Liz will be the first to accept that during her time as prime minister, mistakes were made," Mr Hunt said of Ms Truss's 49 days in office, in which the pound hit a 37-year low against the dollar. "She appointed me as chancellor, so I don't want to say anything negative about Liz Truss," he added.
Defiant Lords back Afghan heroes and refuse to pass Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers
Peers voted on Wednesday night in favour of an amendment to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill that would exempt Afghan heroes who supported UK troops overseas from being deported.
They also insisted on a monitoring committee to assess whether Rwanda is safe before the government sends asylum seekers there.
‘Billionaire prime minister smearing a working class woman,’ Starmer says
Sir Keir Starmer has accused “billionaires” Rishi Sunak and Tory peer Lord Ashcroft of “smearing a working class woman” Angela Rayner, Archie Mitchell reports.
The pair have repeatedly criticised Ms Rayner over the sale of her former council house in 2015, suggesting she may have failed to pay due capital gains tax or given false information about her address.
After Mr Sunak referenced the investigation into Ms Rayner at PMQs, Sir Keir said: “We’ve got a billionaire prime minister and a billionaire colleague both of whose families have used schemes to avoid millions of pounds in tax smearing a working class woman.”
A Tory MP is being investigated by the party following claims he misused campaign funds
Mark Menzies is facing allegations he made a late-night call to a 78-year-old aide asking for help because he had been locked up by “bad people” demanding thousands of pounds for his release.
The Fylde MP disputes the allegations reported by The Times but the Conservative Party is looking into the claims and taking them seriously.
According to the newspaper, £14,000 given by donors for use on Tory campaign activities was transferred to Mr Menzies’ personal bank accounts and used for private medical expenses.
The MP, who is one of Rishi Sunak’s trade envoys, is also said to have called his 78-year-old former campaign manager at 3.15am one morning in December, claiming he was locked in a flat and needed £5,000 as a matter of “life and death”.
The sum, which rose to £6,500, was eventually paid by his office manager from her personal bank account and subsequently reimbursed from funds raised from donors in an account named Fylde Westminster Group, it is alleged.
According to a source close to Mr Menzies, the MP had met a man on an online dating website and gone to the man’s flat, before subsequently going with another man to a second address where he continued drinking. He was sick at one point and several people at the address demanded £5,000, claiming it was for cleaning up and other expenses.
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2024-04-18 07:13:47Z
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