Government’s Rwanda Bill Suffers Heavy Defeat in House of Lords

The government has suffered a major defeat to its Rwanda bill on Monday as it lost a series of votes in the House of Lords. Peers made five changes to the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, which the government hopes would underpin its plan to send illegal immigrants to the east African country. The amendments, which put restrictions on when Rwanda can be considered safe for the purpose of relocating asylum seekers, were all passed by unusually large margins of around 100 votes, setting the stage for a Westminster showdown over the legislation. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has previously warned the unelected chamber against frustrating “the will of the people” by hampering the passage of the bill, which has already been approved by MPs....