The Rwanda Bill today returns to the House of Commons for two days of debate prior to Third Reading tomorrow night. Rishi Sunak’s flagship legislation is now at committee stage – which means that any MP can lay down amendments. Those from Labour and the SNP are unlikely to trouble the government much, given it still has a working majority of 54.
Instead, the main focus is on the right of the Conservative party. More than 60 Tory MPs have now signed a series of amendments to try to strengthen the bill, which they predict will be thwarted in the courts. Veteran Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash and former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick have led the way on this, tabling amendments that deal with four specific issues in the bill. The full list of amendments are found on the House of Commons paper here.
The ‘notwithstanding’ clause
Tabled by Sir Bill Cash, amendment 10 aims to strengthen the ‘notwithstanding’ clause which stipulates that both UK and international law cannot be used to ‘prevent or delay the removal to Rwanda of any individual’.
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