3h 41min, jan 22, 2024 y - Rwanda Bill Faces First Parliamentary Defeat

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Rishi Sunak’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda received its first parliamentary defeat on Monday after peers backed calls for protections to be introduced before any flights take off.

The House of Lords voted for a motion that sought to delay ratification of the new Rwanda treaty until the government can show the country is safe.

The vote on Monday night, by 214 votes to 171, was an unprecedented move seeking to pause implementation of the deal that paves the way for the asylum scheme.

Under the terms of the safety of Rwanda bill, the law will not come into force until the treaty is ratified.

The bill was passed by the Commons last week but it followed a Tory row that damaged the prime minister’s authority.

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