Government Defends Rwanda Bill Tackling Illegal Immigration From Human Rights Committee’s Criticisms

The government has defended its proposed asylum law allowing Channel migrants to be sent to Rwanda, after Parliament’s human rights committee criticised the bill for being “incompatible” with human rights legislation. A report published on Monday from the Joint Committee on Human Rights said that the government’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill—which passed in the House of Commons and is moving through the Lords–is “not compatible with the UK’s international obligations” and “openly invites the possibility of the UK breaching international law.” The committee’s chair, Scottish National Party (SNP) MP Joanna Cherry, said on Monday that the Safety of Rwanda Bill “is designed to remove vital safeguards against persecution and human rights abuses, including the fundamental right to access a court. Hostility to human rights is at its heart and no amendments can salvage it.”...