Politics latest: 'Enough is enough,' Sunak declares - Rwanda flights starting 'come what may' (2024)

Catering staff in the House of Lords have made provision to offer refreshments into the night ahead of a possible late sitting over the Rwanda bill.

Rishi Sunak has said "enough is enough" and vowed MPs and peers will sit until the bill, which is currently in a stand-off between the two houses, is passed.

Speaking in the Lords government chief whip Baroness Williams of Trafford acknowledged the "frustration" felt by peers at the timetabling of the controversial legislation, given the "less than adequate notice" and coming on the first day of the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Lady Williams also thanked catering staff "who have already made swift provision for services beyond 10pm should peers and staff need them".

The government had expected the Rwanda bill to pass through parliament last week, but it did not, and parliament is set to vote for as long as it takes today to get it passed.

So what happened last week?

Monday

The House of Commons voted on seven amendments, passed by the House of Lords, to the Rwanda bill.

All seven amendments were rejected by MPs.

They were all defeated by comfortable majorities, and the legislation was sent back to the Lords.

Tuesday

The Lords once again decided to change the legislation, passing four new amendments.

That sent the bill back to the Commons for MPs to vote on.

Wednesday

After Prime Minister's Questions, MPs voted on the four Lords amendments to the legislation after around an hour of debate.

All four amendments were rejected by MPs, all by comfortable margins.

It was expected that the Lords would accept the bill in the form sent it by the Commons, but...

Wednesday evening

Labour peers joined bishops and crossbenchers to pass two new amendments with comfortable majorities.

This means that - much to the annoyance of the government - MPs will have to vote again on those amendments.

The Lords is insisting on its position that the bill:

• Should require an independent committee to declare Rwanda safe (rather than giving the home secretary that power);
• Should exempt those who served with or for the British armed forces from deportation.

Given the government had expected the bill to pass the Lords on Wednesday, not many MPs were in Westminster on Thursday.

We are expecting the debate and votes to begin in the House of Commons from around 4.30pm, and we'll bring you the latest from that when it happens.

MPs are expected to vote to overturn changes made to the Rwanda bill in the House of Lords tonight.

The bill is aimed at making the plan to send asylum seekers on one-way flights to Rwanda legally watertight.

Last week, peers amended the Bill to include an exemption for Afghan nationals who assisted British troops and a provision meaning Rwanda can only be treated as safe if deemed so by an independent monitoring body.

After tonight's vote, the bill will be sent back to the House of Lords, where some peers may attempt to insist on their amendments again.

This morning Rishi Sunak acknowledged it will take 10-12 weeks before the first plane carrying asylum seekers takes off, but said after that there will be"multiple flights a month through the summer and beyond".

The prime minister has decided parliament will sit for as long as it takes to end the deadlock between the Commons and the Lords over the bill.

The current Rwanda bill does not reach the standard expected of UK legislation and breaches the Human Rights Act, leading lawyer and independent crossbencher Lord Carlile of Berriew has said.

Discussing the bill ahead of a Commons vote on it tonight, Lord Carlile told Sky News: "It removes British jurisdiction from people who are in the United Kingdom. It doesn't allow them to apply to be treated as asylum seekers because of the way they enter the country.

"It offends international agreements, for example the European Convention on Human Rights on which the British government relies every week in the European Court of Human Rights.

"It's a purely pragmatic, politically motivated approach by the government, which I don't believe convinces many people at all."

Asked if reservations in the Lords could stop the bill, he said "it really does depend what Labour do" but added: "I do hope we can push the government further."

He called for MPs to accept "two very modest concessions" peers amended the bill to contain last week - an exemption for Afghan nationals who assisted British troops and a provision meaning Rwanda could not be treated as safe unless deemed so by an independent monitoring body.

Lord Carlile said Rishi Sunak had taken "a childish view of being thwarted", adding: "I think the prime minister has very, very little understanding of either the law or of foreign policy.

"From what I saw of the press conference this morning, it was just a piece of bravado. Stop the boats hasn't happened. There are more people coming on boats in the last two months and in the late part of this spring than in the previous year.

"Stop the boats is just a boast, but it's an empty boast. And he should now stop that boast."

Small boat arrivals in the UK since the beginning of the year have increased by 24% compared with the same period last year, according to Home Office data published today.

Some 6,265 small boats arrived between 1 January and 21 April 2024, compared with 5,049 during the same period the year before.

Vietnamese and Afghan arrivals were the main two nationalities, making up 40% of total arrivals during the period.

Of the 129,407 initial asylum decisions received between 15 April 2023 and 14 April 2024, 89,365 were substantive decisions.

Some 56,744 claims were granted and 36,597 were refused, representing a grant rate of 61%.

Rishi Sunak has made stopping the boats one of his five key pledges to voters, using his news conference earlier today to say the country can see the success of his efforts to stop illegal migration and noting small boat crossings last year were down a third on the year before.

The House of Commons will sit from 2.30pm, and Rishi Sunak has said MPs will sit for as along as it takes tonight to pass the Rwanda bill.

Here are the approximate timings:

2.30pm - Levelling Up Questions

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and his ministers will take questions from MPs in the Commons.

That includes from Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, who is facing questions over her own housing situation in the past, and whether she failed to pay capital gains tax on a property she owned.

3.30pm - Urgent Question on Sudan

Labour's shadow Africa minister, Lyn Brown, has tabled an urgent question asking the deputy foreign secretary, Andrew Mitchell, to "make a statement on the Government's response to the crisis in Sudan".

It is not confirmed if Mr Mitchell will respond, but we will bring you any key updates from that.

4.15pm - Rwanda amendments debate starts

Michael Tomlinson, the illegal migration minister, will open the debate on two amendments to the Rwanda bill passed in the House of Lords last Wednesday evening.

Those amendments are that the bill:

• Should require an independent committee to declare Rwanda safe (rather than giving the home secretary that power);
• Should exempt those who served with or for the British armed forces from deportation.

5.15pm - Votes on Rwanda amendments

MPs will vote on the two Lords amendments to the Rwanda bill, as above.

They are all but certain to be rejected by MPs, sending the bill back to the Lords.

After 6pm - Lords debates Rwanda bill

The House of Lords will debate the Rwanda bill again.

Peers could pass the bill in its current form, or they could pass fresh amendments and send the bill back to the Commons.

We will keep you updated here in the Politics Hub on what happens throughout the afternoon - and potentially much of the evening.

By Faye Brown, political reporter

Rishi Sunak is facing a fresh headache after a Conservative MP was suspended over allegations he misused campaign funds.

The Times newspaper report into Mark Menzies is the latest sleaze row to rock the Tories since the prime minister entered Downing Street with a promise to bring "integrity and accountability" to government.

Having sought to draw a line under the scandal-hit era of Boris Johnson, problems have continued to mount for Mr Sunak.

Sky News looks at the MPs who have been suspended during his time in office so far:

In the Venn diagram of policing and politics, it's often the Met Police commissioner who gets trapped in the middle.

And so once again, Sir Mark Rowley is being pushed and pulled between the public order decisions made by his officers on the ground and the extensive public and political examination that follows.

In the case of the high-profile interaction between Gideon Falter of the Campaign Against Antisemitism and an officer policing the pro-Palestinian march in London last Saturday, the best vantage point we have is the footage filmed by a Sky News camera crew at the demonstration.

The footage shows a lengthy and bad-tempered discussion, with the officer accusing Mr Falter of purposefully leaving the pavement and walking on the road against the flow of protesters.

"You are looking to try and antagonise... I can already see what your mindset is," the officer says at one point.

Mr Falter disagrees, saying he is simply trying to cross the road and "get out of here".

The officer replies that if that's the case, he's happy to escort him and his group safely around the march.

However, Mr Falter asks: "Why can't I just walk where I want to walk?", before adding "the Metropolitan Police says these marches are completely safe for Jews... you're telling me... I have to be escorted by you".

This is really the key point.

Read Rob's full analysis here:

By Adam Boulton, Sky News commentator

Liz Truss has much more in common with Donald Trump than just the first three letters of his surname.

Despite presenting themselves as "outsiders", both enjoyed substantial political careers and reached the top of their profession as prime minister of the UK and president of the United States respectively.

In both cases, their periods in power ended in ways that outraged their opponents and many in their own Conservative and Republican parties. Economic chaos brought on by her rash policies forced Truss out of office after just 49 days in 10 Downing Street.

Trumplost the 2020 election, refused to accept his defeat and praised the mob who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to keep him in the White House.

Many thought they were finished for good. But like those who had laughed at their ambitions earlier in their careers, the nay-sayers were wrong again. Both have been reprieved and continue to be respected as forces in their parties.

Read more here:

Two men have been charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act on behalf of China, the Met Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have said, including a former parliamentary researcher.

Christopher Cash, 29, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, 32, "will be charged with providing prejudicial information to a foreign state, China", the CPS counterterrorism division has said.

Both men were arrested in March last year and have since been on police bail while the investigation continued.

Cash worked in parliament for the China Research Group, and has links to senior Conservative MPs, including Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and now security minister, Tom Tugendhat.

Ms Kearns said: "Regarding the Crown Prosecution’s announcement this afternoon that two men will be charged on espionage offences on behalf of China: As this matter is now sub judice it is essential that neither I, nor anyone else, say anything that might prejudice a criminal trial relating to a matter of national security. I will not be commenting further."

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's counterterrorism command, said: "This has been an extremely complex investigation into what are very serious allegations.

"We've worked closely with the Crown Prosecution Service as our investigation has progressed and this has led to the two men being charged today.

"We're aware there has been a degree of public and media interest in this case, but we would ask others to refrain from any further comment or speculation, so that the criminal justice process can now run its course."