PM's race against time to get migrants Bill past Lords before summer

Race against time to get Channel migrants Bill past House of Lords before summer recess – after Commons overturned ‘wrecking’ amendments despite revolt by more than a dozen Tories including Theresa May

  • MPs overturned changes to the legislation but are set for a new battle with peers

Rishi Sunak is facing a race against time to get his Illegal Migration Bill through the House of Lords before Parliament goes on its six-week summer break.

MPs last night overturned a series of peers’ changes to the legislation – aimed at ending the Channel migrant crisis – in a marathon voting session in the House of Commons.

The 18 votes saw several ‘wrecking’ amendments by the Lords reversed by the Commons, as the Government seeks to toughen asylum laws.

But there was a warning for the Prime Minister as a sizeable group of Tory MPs – led by ex-PM Theresa May – rebelled against the Government over modern slavery provisions.

The Bill returns to the Lords this afternoon where peers will decide whether to try to alter the legislation again, after they previously mauled it by inflicting 20 defeats on the Government in making a series of revisions.

The draft laws will then move between the Lords and the Commons until both Houses can agree on the final wording, in a process known as ‘ping pong’.

Despite the PM’s eagerness to make progress on his pledge to ‘stop the boats’, No10 has refused to commit to the Bill being passed before Parliament’s summer recess.

Rishi Sunak is facing a race against time to get his Illegal Migration Bill through the House of Lords before Parliament goes on its six-week summer break

MPs last night overturned a series of peers’ changes to the legislation – aimed at ending the Channel migrant crisis – in a marathon voting session in the House of Commons

But there was a warning for the Prime Minister as a sizeable group of Tory MPs – led by ex-PM Theresa May – rebelled against the Government over modern slavery provisions

The biggest Conservative revolt on Tuesday night saw 16 Tory MPs vote against the Government amid concerns about the Bill’s impact on modern slavery laws

Peers are set to begin their latest round of battles against the Government over the Bill from 5pm, when they will consider last night’s series of amendments by the Commons.

The biggest Conservative revolt on Tuesday night saw 16 Tory MPs vote against the Government amid concerns about the Bill’s impact on modern slavery laws.

Before leading a rebellion on the issue, Mrs May told the Commons: ‘I know that ministers have said this Bill will enable more perpetrators to be stopped, but on modern slavery I genuinely believe it will do the opposite.

‘It will enable more slave drivers to operate and make money out of human misery. It will consign more people to slavery.

‘No doubt about it, I think if Lords amendment 56 is overthrown that will be the impact.’

MPs voted 285 to 243 to reject the Lords amendment, which sought to retain protections for victims of modern slavery who have been exploited in the UK, and prevent their removal.

Temporary protection against removal from the UK is currently given to suspected victims of modern slavery or human trafficking while their case is considered.

But the Bill in its original form removed this protection for those judged to have entered the UK illegally, with peers then voting to insert safeguards.

There were also rebellions from Conservative MPs connected to the limits and conditions of detaining unaccompanied children, including Tory former ministers Sir Bob Neill, Vicky Ford, Tracey Crouch and Caroline Nokes.

There were 15 Conservative MPs, including former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who opposed adding Government amendments linked to the powers to detain unaccompanied children.

Other amendments to be overturned included a proposal from the Archbishop of Canterbury that would have forced the Government to draw up a 10-year strategy for collaborating internationally on refugees and human trafficking to the UK.

At the start of the week, the Home Office offered several concessions on the Bill –  including on time limits for the detention of children and pregnant women as well as removing a clause so the law, if enacted, will no longer apply retrospectively from when it was first announced in March.

Opening Tuesday’s debate, immigration minister Robert Jenrick paid tribute to the Lords for ‘undertaking its proper role as a revising chamber’ but said some of the changes were ‘little short of wrecking amendments’.

Labour’s Yvette Cooper called the Bill a ‘con’, with the shadow home secretary accusing Conservatives of giving up on ‘common decency and common sense’.

The Scottish National Party said that the Bill had brought ‘shame to the House of Commons’.

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