Current:Home > ScamsBritish leader Sunak urges Parliament’s upper house to swiftly pass Rwanda migration plan-LoTradeCoin
British leader Sunak urges Parliament’s upper house to swiftly pass Rwanda migration plan
View Date:2024-12-23 21:21:12
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak laid out a challenge Thursday to members of Parliament’s unelected upper chamber to swiftly pass his controversial plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda
Sunak said any attempt by the House of Lords to soften or delay the policy, which elected lawmakers in the House of Commons backed Wednesday, would “frustrate the will of the people.”
“There is now only one question,” Sunak said at a news conference in his Downing Street headquarters. “Will the opposition in the appointed House of Lords try and frustrate the will of the people as expressed by the elected House? Or will they get on board and do the right thing?”
Sunak’s governing Conservatives do not have a majority in the House of Lords, which is made up of representatives from political parties as well as non-aligned appointees. The Lords can delay and amend legislation but ultimately can’t overrule the elected House of Commons.
Already, many members of the Lords have voiced concerns over the Rwanda plan, with one, Alex Carlile, describing it as “a step towards totalitarianism.”
A long delay would jeopardize Sunak’s ambition to have removal flights leaving by the spring, possibly timed to coincide with a general election.
With polls consistently showing the Conservatives trailing far behind the main Labour opposition, Sunak has made the controversial — and expensive — immigration policy central to his attempt to win an election later this year.
The Safety of Rwanda Bill, which was backed on Wednesday, is intended to overcome a U.K. Supreme Court block on the policy and give authorities the power to send migrants arriving in small boats to Rwanda rather than being allowed to seek asylum in Britain.
More than 29,000 people arrived in the U.K. in small boats across the Channel in 2023, down from 42,000 the year before.
On Wednesday, another 358 migrants made the treacherous journey, a week after five people died while trying to launch a boat from northern France in the dark and winter cold.
“I’m fighting every day to get the flights off to Rwanda,” Sunak said. “This is an urgent national priority.”
However, there is deep skepticism that the plan will work, both within Sunak’s party and among political opponents. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer has described the policy as a “gimmick” and said he will reverse it if it comes into power.
Moderates in the Conservative Party worry the policy is too extreme, concerns underscored when the United Nations’ refugee agency said this week the Rwanda plan “is not compatible with international refugee law.” However, many on the party’s powerful right wing think the bill doesn’t go far enough and will be vulnerable to court rulings.
Sunak won the vote comfortably on Wednesday. But the victory came only after scores of Conservative lawmakers rebelled on earlier votes to make the policy even tougher.
Despite the clear divisions over the issue, Sunak insisted that his party was “completely united.”
veryGood! (49)
Related
- Mississippi rising, Georgia falling in college football NCAA Re-Rank 1-134 after Week 11
- Al Pacino says Oscars producers asked him to omit reading best picture nominees
- 17 Must-Have Items From Amazon To Waterproof Your Spring Break
- Some athletes swear by smelling salts. Here's the truth about them.
- Father, 5 children hurt in propane tank explosion while getting toys: 'Devastating accident'
- Mega Millions jackpot heats up to $735 million: When is the next lottery drawing?
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine bypasses Trump-backed Bernie Moreno with US Senate primary endorsement
- Private jet was short on approach to Virginia runway when it crashed, killing 5, police say
- Man gets a life sentence in the shotgun death of a New Mexico police officer
- Man arrested in California after Massachusetts shooting deaths of woman and her 11-year-old daughter
Ranking
- See Leonardo DiCaprio's Transformation From '90s Heartthrob to Esteemed Oscar Winner
- Inside Robert Downey Jr.'s Unbelievable Hollywood Comeback, From Jail to Winning an Oscar
- Reddit IPO to raise nearly $750 million and will offer shares to Redditors. Here's how it will work.
- A look at standings, schedule, and brackets before 2024 Big 12 men's basketball tournament
- Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline, shrugging off Wall Street’s overnight rally
- 8 Children Dead and One Adult Dead After Eating Sea Turtle Meat in Zanzibar
- Cancer-causing chemical found in skincare brands including Target, Proactive, Clearasil
- New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole to get MRI on pitching elbow
Recommendation
-
Bridgerton's Luke Newton Details His Physical Transformation for Season 3's Leading Role
-
Suspected shooter, driver are in custody in Philadelphia bus stop shooting that injured 8 teens
-
Libraries struggle to afford the demand for e-books, seek new state laws in fight with publishers
-
Why are the Academy Awards called the Oscars? Learn the nickname's origins
-
Angels sign Travis d'Arnaud: Former All-Star catcher gets multiyear contract in LA
-
Oil sheen off California possibly caused by natural seepage from ocean floor, Coast Guard says
-
Kelly Rizzo Reacts to Criticism About Moving On “So Fast” After Bob Saget’s Death
-
Horoscopes Today, March 10, 2024