FLIGHT FIGHT
Rwanda plan faces onslaught in House of Lords in sign migrant flights will be delayed
One wrecking amendment tabled by Baroness Chakrabarti would make ministers need approval from the United Nations
THE Rwanda plan yesterday faced an onslaught in the House of Lords in a sure sign migrant flights will be delayed.
Peers are attempting to hijack Rishi Sunak’s flagship policy with 93 wrecking amendments.
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One tabled by Baroness Chakrabarti, and backed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, would make ministers need approval from the United Nations.
The Labour peer said the current Bill “threatens both the domestic rule of law and the international rules-based order”.
Her amendment was slammed by ex-Tory leader Lord Howard who said it would breach of parliamentary sovereignty.
He said: “The plain fact is that we are a parliamentary democracy.
READ MORE ON RWANDA
"That means that Parliament is sovereign, and the reason why so many of us cherish that overarching principle is that we attach high importance to something called accountability.”
Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron yesterday said peers seeking to thwart the Rwanda plan are “wrong”.
Mr Sunak hopes to send the first asylum seekers to Kigali by the spring to stop small boat crossings. Home secretary James Cleverly has told previously bishops who are trying to stop him tackling people smugglers with his Rwanda plan: “This is evil being done. I’m trying to do something about it.”
The Home Secretary is facing the wrath of the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby — who branded the scheme to fly illegal migrants to the African nation the “opposite of the nature of God”.
Most read in The Sun
The Church of England’s most senior cleric has formed an alliance with Labour and left-wing peers to try to torpedo the legislation with wrecking amendments.
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Rishi Sunak bets a £1000 with Piers Morgan over whether his controversial Rwanda scheme will see a single illegal immigrant get on a plane before the election
ILLEGAL JOB FINE RISES
BOSSES who hire illegal migrants face fines of up to £60,000 from today.
Penalties triple in the biggest hike for years.
Landlords renting to illegal arrivals will also be fined more. Minister Michael Tomlinson said: “It is an affront to honest people.”
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