Rwanda flights delayed as Sunak loses seven votes in the Lords

Peers deal new defeats to prime minister as he urges backbenchers to support legislation.

Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street ahead of the weekly PMQ session in the House of Commons, on Wednesday. Picture: Getty Images

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suffered another blow to his Rwanda bill on Wednesday night after a series of heavy defeats in the Lords delayed the first flights until June, as he appealed for MPs to unite behind him.

The government lost seven votes, with majorities ranging ­between 30 and 55, as peers backed changes that aim to water down Mr Sunak’s hardline legislation to deport migrants to Rwanda. Among those who voted against the government was Kenneth Clarke, the former Conservative chancellor.

Home Secretary James Cleverly accused opponents in the Lords of risking migrants’ lives. “While Labour and their allies try anything to delay, disrupt or ­destroy that plan, people are risking their lives in the hands of people who don’t care if they die as long as they pay. The talking needs to end so we can get on with the job of saving lives and stopping the boats,” he said.

The defeats leave the Safety of Rwanda Bill, one of Mr Sunak’s flagship policies, deadlocked ­between the Lords and the House of Commons, which on Monday rejected 10 previous changes voted through by the upper chamber. Mr Sunak urged his MPs to unite behind him as he told backbenchers that only a “very small minority” were trying to destabilise his premiership.

His plea came after days of speculation over plots to oust him that followed former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson’s defection last week from the Tories to Reform UK and Mr Sunak’s handling of the racism row over alleged comments made by Frank Hester, the Conservatives’ biggest donor.

Government sources confirmed they would not attempt to force through the Rwanda legislation before parliament adjourns for its three-week break next week. The bill will not return to the Commons until April 15. The government is planning to stage consecutive days of votes in both houses for the remainder of that week until a consensus can be found.

It means the first flights to Rwanda are likely to be delayed until June at the earliest because it will take the Home Office ­between six and 10 weeks to overcome the logistical and legal obstacles from the point when the legislation receives royal assent.

Ministers are said to be considering a compromise that would commit them to delivering a statement in parliament before the first flights take off, which would lay out the specific ­arrangements to ensure Rwanda is safe for asylum-seekers.

The government had been planning to force through all remaining stages by Tuesday, but decided to pull next week’s votes after concluding it would run out of time due to the scale of opposition in the Lords.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, accused the government of delaying the bill to hide its lack of readiness for the first flights. She said: “If the Conservatives were ready to implement this, they would be bringing the bill back to complete the remaining stages next week and get on with it. But because their plans aren’t ready, they’ve decided to delay the bill as well, so they can try to blame everyone else for the chaos they have ­created, and the fact that they haven’t got a proper plan.”

The further delay to the Rwanda bill came on what was ­estimated to be the busiest day of channel crossings so far this year, with about 450 migrants believed to have crossed in eight boats. If confirmed by the Home Office, it would take the total number of crossings this year to almost 4000.

THE TIMES