MPs vote to reject Lords Illegal Migration Bill amendments

MPs vote to reject Lords amendments as Government wins latest battle with its Illegal Migration Bill

• Amendment 103B was rejected by MPs by 297 to 214 – a majority of 83 

MPs have voted to reject the House of Lords amendments as the Government wins the latest battle with its Illegal Migration Bill. 

Amendment 103B was rejected by MPs by 297 to 214 – a majority of 83.

The change to the Bill by peers had demanded the National Crime Agency be specifically tasked with tackling people smuggling gangs, with provision of regular progress reports.

The Deputy Commons Speaker, Dame Rosie Winterton, also told the Commons that several MPs had not been included in the previous vote.

Dame Rosie said the correct result of the vote into Lords amendment 102B was instead 284 to 226, majority 58.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak onboard Border Agency cutter HMC Seeker during a visit to Dover, ahead of a press conference at Western Jet Foil in June

British Home Secretary Suella Braverman visits Bwiza Riverside Houses in Kigali, Rwanda on March 18

The Government had urged the House of Lords to allow the Illegal Migration Bill to become law, as ministers signalled no further concessions are planned.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said Lords amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill would ‘drive a coach and horses’ through measures designed to allow the government to detain and deport those who cross the Channel illegally.

MPs were voting again to reject proposals from the Lords to water down the flagship legislation, which is vital to the Government’s Rwanda scheme.

During a marathon four-hour voting session last week, MPs threw out 20 amendments put forward by the Lords.

But, in an extraordinary round of parliamentary ‘ping pong’, peers then voted to reinstate nine similar amendments.

READ MORE: Theresa May will lead another Tory rebellion against Channel migrants Bill today as Rishi Sunak rushes to get new asylum laws passed before MPs’ summer break 

Opening a debate on the Lords proposals tonight, Mr Jenrick said that although peers had ‘attempted to smooth the edges of their wrecking amendments, they are still wrecking amendment… that will tie things up in knots’.

He said there would be no more concessions to the Lords because ‘there is simply no point in passing legislation that does not deliver a credible deterrent and provides the means to back it up with effective and swift enforcement powers.

Last week, Mr Jenrick said it was ‘disappointing’ that peers had continued to make amendments to the Bill, which is a key part of the Government’s bid to tackle the small boats crisis.

He added the views of the elected Commons ‘should prevail’ ahead of a series of votes which saw MPs approve nine motions to overturn Lords amendments.

Another amendment aimed to retain protections for victims of modern slavery who have been exploited in the UK, including those who are co-operating with criminal investigations.

MPs rejected the modern slavery protections, with the division list showing 13 Conservatives rebelled in a bid to retain the changes – including former ministers Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tracey Crouch and Sir Robert Buckland.

Concerns also remain over powers in the Bill to detain unaccompanied children, with peers wanting to impose an absolute time limit of 72 hours 

The Lords had argued the Government’s amendment, which permits a tribunal to grant bail to an unaccompanied child after eight days, is ‘not the same’ as having an absolute time limit.

But MPs voted 289 to 220, majority 69, to reject the Lords amendments 36C and 36D, with the division list showing 11 Conservative MPs rebelled in a bid to retain the changes.

Border Force officials escort 100 migrants into Dover Docks, Kent, in April. Near to 45,756 migrants are reported to have crossed the Channel last year to the UK

The Bill is currently at the parliamentary stage known as ping-pong, in which both Houses make changes until they can agree on the final wording.

Mr Jenrick previously told the Commons: ‘Last Tuesday, this House voted 18 times, more times than in any other day on any other given piece of legislation, and 18 times this House voted to support this Bill.’

He added: ‘This House sent back to the House of Lords their 20 amendments to the Bill, many of them simply driving a coach and horses through the fabric of the legislation.

‘We brought forward reasonable amendments where it was sensible to do so, and it is disappointing to say the least that some of these have been rejected.

‘I welcome the fact that the 20 issues we debated last week have now been whittled down to nine, but the issue now before the House is whether the clearly expressed views of this House, the elected chamber, not just in the vote last week, but throughout the earlier passage of the Bill, should prevail.

‘We believe that inaction is not an option, that we must stop the boats, and that this Bill is a key part of our plan to do just that.’

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said it was ‘disappointing’ that peers had continued to make amendments to the Bill, which is a key part of the Government’s bid to tackle the small boats crisis

Downing Street said it remained in the position that no further concessions are planned on the Bill.

Conservative former minister Tim Loughton said there were ‘still too many outstanding questions’.

He told the Commons: ‘Can I make it absolutely clear I support this Bill, I want this Bill to go through as quickly as possible and I support the Rwanda scheme.

‘Objecting to some of the trafficking measures in the Bill is about protecting a victim and prosecuting traffickers, not undermining the Bill. Having greater safeguards on how we look after children who’ve arrived here don’t undermine the Bill, they strengthen it.’

SNP immigration spokesman Stuart McDonald said: ‘This Bill is about locking up kids, about forcing trafficking victims back to their exploiters, mass detention, closure of the UK asylum system and the trashing of international laws.’

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