Rwanda Asylum Policy Will Proceed Despite Parliamentary Deadlock, Says UK PM Sunak

Despite opposition, UK Prime Minister Sunak has persisted in pushing through the Rwanda Asylum Policy law.

The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, has declared that the government will push through legislation the policy of processing asylum seekers in Rwanda, even if it means late-night meetings of MPs to ensure its approval.

For the past four months, there has been a prolonged impasse between the two Houses of Parliament on the legislative process. The government’s proposal has been repeatedly blocked by the House of Lords, leading to a postponed vote.

But the prime minister categorically said on Friday that there would be no more postponements, saying, “We will sit there and vote until it’s done.”

The goal of the proposed legislation is to streamline the process of expelling refugees who have entered the UK illegally by greatly limiting the basis for judicial challenges to the government’s proposal to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The law has already received many votes of support from the House of Commons, most recently last Wednesday.

That being said, the House of Lords has blocked its passage into law by requiring changes to the bill. Interestingly, they suggested a waiver for Afghan asylum applicants who had supported British forces there when they were stationed there. They also stated that flights could not begin unless a committee of experts confirmed Rwanda’s adherence to certain safety measures.

The impasse over legislation in the two houses of parliament can continue until the government makes compromises or its peers give up on their changes.

The Safety of Rwanda Bill, which Sunak refers to as “emergency legislation,” intends to help the government fulfill its promise to “stop the boats” by discouraging people from trying to cross the English Channel in tiny boats in order to apply for asylum in the UK.

In addition to limiting the legal options for objections to the Rwanda plan, the proposed law gives ministers the authority to disregard specific human rights statutes at their discretion.

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled the Rwanda asylum scheme on April 14, 2022, but as of yet, no asylum applicant has been sent to Rwanda, a landlocked country in central Africa that is around 4,000 miles (6,500 km) from the United Kingdom.

The Rwanda program was declared unlawful by the UK Supreme Court in November 2023, and in order to maintain Rwanda’s status as a safe country under UK law, the government introduced the Safety of Rwanda Bill.

Critics claim that the plan jeopardizes judicial independence and puts people at risk.