MARK Jenkinson MP has welcomed the passing of the Government’s Rwanda Bill after a protracted battle with the Lords – and despite several legal challenges.
The important piece of legislation cleared the final hurdle late on Monday night [22nd April] when Labour peers finally abandoned their eleventh-hour efforts to wreck it.
The landmark victory – the culmination of parliamentary “ping pong” between the Commons and the Lords – means that the bill with its aim of deterring dangerous Channel crossings will soon receive royal assent.
The Rwanda Bill will confirm that the landlocked east-central African country is safe, allowing the Government to deport migrants who have landed here illegally.
The move is intended to deter them from risking their lives in small boats on the English Channel, break the business model of criminal gangs, and to take back control of our borders.
Asylum claims will now be processed in Rwanda where migrants could be granted refugee status and permitted to stay, removing the draw that encourages them to cross through multiple safe countries - asylum in the UK.
The first flights for Rwanda are scheduled to leave in the next 10 to 12 weeks, with multiple flights every month over the summer and beyond until the boats are stopped.
Mark Jenkinson MP said: “The unacceptable and unsustainable numbers of migrants coming into Britain illegally over the English Channel is among the most common complaints in my inbox.
This is a hard-fought victory for common sense. People have woken up on St George’s Day to find that this important legislation has been passed despite the best efforts of leftie lawyers, the SNP and Labour to thwart it.
“Labour used every trick in the book to try keep the boats coming. They want more illegal migration not less. They have voted against measures to tackle illegal migration more than 135 times and want to scrap the Rwanda scheme - now a key manifesto pledge of theirs, regardless of the impact of the scheme on Channel crossings.
“They have consistently voted against our Illegal Migration Bill, Safety of Rwanda Bill, and other measures. Yet they have offered no alternative.
"For as long as this route is viable, people will keep coming, and this is why Rwanda matters. Without a safe third country there is no option for removal.
“The only way to stop the boats is to remove the incentive to come – by making clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be allowed to stay.
“This legislation will discourage migrants from making perilous crossings and will break the business model of the criminal gangs exploiting them.”
“This is critical milestone in the Conservative Government’s efforts to take back control of our borders. We have also heard the tragic news today migrants have died attempting to cross the Channel hours after Rwanda Bill passed. Ultimately, this legislation will help prevent further loss of life.”
