Government secures narrow victories to prevent series of amendments to Illegal Migration Bill in late night debate
Rishi Sunak’s plan to combat small boats is to become law after it was passed by the Lords in a series of narrow victories for the Government.
Tory peers turned out in numbers to support the controversial legislation, defeating amendments demanding tighter time limits on the detention of unaccompanied children, greater protections for victims of modern slavery and six month delays in the deportation of migrants.
The illegal migration bill gives the Home Secretary powers to detain and swiftly deport any migrant arriving illegally in the UK to their home nation or a third country such as Rwanda, which is subject to legal challenge in the Supreme Court.
The Lords’ votes came after the Government refused any more concessions and overturned the peers’ nine amendments in the Commons to send the bill back to the upper house. It will now go for royal assent to be enacted this Summer after weeks of “ping pong” between the two houses.