The minister makes an ‘enough is enough’ plea to colleagues as the impasse in Rwanda continues

The government has warned colleagues that ‘enough is enough’ as ​​the parliamentary deadlock over Rwanda’s deportation plan threatened to drag on into the early hours.

MPs voted by 312 votes to 237, a majority of 75, to reject the remaining Lords amendment, after peers urged the House of Commons to reconsider Rwanda’s security bill for a fifth time ( asylum and immigration).

The House of Lords had backed the claim that the East African country could not be considered safe until the Secretary of State, after consultation with an independent oversight body, made a statement to Parliament to that effect.

But Home Secretary Michael Tomlinson said the Lords amendment was “almost identical” to previous ones rejected by MPs.

He told the House of Commons: “The amendment is not necessary. To confirm… I will make it clear once again that we will not ratify the treaty until all necessary implementations have been achieved. Implementation will be monitored by the independent monitoring committee and article nine of the bill makes clear when the bill and its provisions will come into force.

“These amendments have already been rejected, enough is enough.”

For Labour, shadow home secretary Stephen Kinnock said: “I find it astonishing that ministers have still not conceded on this very fundamental point that this House is not just trying to legislate that Rwanda is now safe – in other words that white is black is. and black is white – but that Rwanda is safe forever.

“This is a post-truth bill. You cannot possibly legislate for something that lies in the lap of the gods.”

Conservative former minister Sir Robert Buckland expressed reservations about the government’s approach to how it would designate Rwanda as a safe country, adding: “It seems to me that in the absence of this amendment in the future there would be a need for further primary legislation. , which I don’t think is a great place for the government to end up.”

But he acknowledged there is a time when the Lords “must yield to the authority of the elected House”, adding: “I think we are approaching that moment now.”

For the SNP, Alison Thewliss criticized Labor for not continuing to push for a Lords amendment to include an exemption from removal for Afghan nationals assisting British troops, after what critics greeted as a concession from the government.

Ms Thewliss said: “If they think this is some kind of concession, I have some magic beans to sell them.”

The House of Lords will consider the bill again on Monday as the parliamentary battle over the bill continues.

This process is known as ‘ping-pong’, where legislation is fought between the two Houses until an agreement is reached.

The bill aims to force judges to deem the East African country safe, in a bid to pave the way for sending asylum seekers crossing the Channel in small boats on a one-way flight to Rwanda.