UK govt. faces five defeats in House of Lords over its Rwanda asylum deal

The UK government’s proposal to designate Rwanda as a safe asylum destination was rejected in The House of Lords on Monday (4 March) after the upper chamber passed no less than five amendments to the draft text, challenging Rwanda’s safety status.
The failure of the bill is yet another in a string of bad news for the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who has made putting a stop to irregular migration a key part of his agenda. The controversial bill wants to label Rwanda a safe country for deportees to sidestep a Supreme Court ruling last year which declared the East African country unsuitable. If finally enacted in law, the deportation bill would make it harder for the House of Commons to declare Rwanda “safe” and would require the government to comply with domestic and international law.
Since Sunak spoke with Rwandan President Paul Kagame about the heavily debated plan in March 2023, there has been a lot of pushback on the idea. According to the plan, those individuals, who enter the UK illegally on small boats, would subsequently be deported and barred from repeating citizenship and asylum applications or returning. However, skeptics, particularly Conservatives, argue that it would endanger individuals while also undermining judicial independence. In November 2023, the UK’s highest court ruled that Rwanda is not a safe third country for the government to send asylum seekers. This ruling was hailed by many as a huge victory that will protect the rights of countless people who have come to the UK seeking safety.