LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday called on the House of Lords to pass his controversial Rwanda bill, saying it is time now to start flights to the East African country.
Speaking at a news conference at 10 Downing Street, Sunak said: “We are making progress to stop the boats. But now it’s past time to start the flights”, reported Anadolu Agency (AA).
His remarks came a day after a majority of lawmakers in the House of Commons backed the bill that would allow the government to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, approved by a vote of 320-276, was submitted last month and is intended to overcome a UK Supreme Court block on the plan.
The court had ruled in November that the policy was illegal as Rwanda was not a safe country for refugees.
As many as eleven Conservative MPs voted against the bill, including former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, while 18 abstained, including former Prime Minister Theresa May and Lee Anderson who resigned Wednesday from his role as Conservative deputy chairman.
Sunak urged the House of Lords, the upper chamber, to pass the bill, saying “this is an urgent national priority.”
“It’s time to take back control of our borders and defeat the people’s smugglers, it’s time to restore people’s trust that the system is fair,“ he added.
Referring to the vote, Sunak said that his party proved that they were “completely united” in wanting to stop the boats.-Bernama
