David Cameron says the Safety of Rwanda Bill will make it through the upper chamber (Image: Getty)
David Cameron has said he expects Rishi Sunak's flagship immigration legislation will make it through the House of Lords. The Prime Minister saw off a rebellion over his Safety of Rwanda Bill, which passed its third reading unamended in the Commons on Wednesday (January 17) with only 11 Tories voting against it.
No.10 hailed the Rwanda Bill's progression as a "major step" in the Prime Minister's pledge to stop small boats of asylum seekers from coming to Britain via the English Channel. The Bill now moves to the House of Lords where it is expected to face opposition.
It is understood Mr Sunak will warn the Lords to back his Bill at an emergency press conference on Wednesday (January 18).
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Lord Cameron told Politico's Power Play podcast he believes the Bill will make it through the upper chamber. He said: "I’m sure [the Lords] will have lots of questions, but I don’t think it should hold it up."
READ MORE Rishi Sunak sees off Tory rebellion as Rwanda Bill clears Commons in major win
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Asked if flights to Rwanda could take off by the autumn, Lord Cameron said: "I hope they will take place."
The Prime Minister has previously said it is his ambition to have removal flights leaving by the spring.
Britain's top diplomat told the same outlet his heart was "absolutely" in the Rwanda scheme, but described it as "unorthodox".
In a sign of some of the concerns felt by peers, Lord Carlile, a former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, warned on Thursday that the Bill represents "a step towards totalitarianism".
Home Office minister Chris Philp said he expected the legislation to pass through the Lords relatively speedily, telling Times Radio: "It's a pretty short Bill, which means it should be able to get through the House of Lords fairly fast."
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Rishi Sunak saw off a Tory rebellion to get his Rwanda Bill through the Commons (Image: Getty)
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Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg told Newsnight he thought it "unlikely" deportations would take place before the next general election, expected in the second half of 2024, after amendments to the Bill failed.
The former Business Secretary was one of dozens of rebels who supported former immigration minister Robert Jenrick's amendment on Wednesday. It was designed to allow UK ministers to ignore flight-grounding emergency injunctions by European judges. However, Sir Jacob backed the Bill unamended at the third reading.
Around eight others, including Lee Anderson, who resigned as deputy Conservative Party chairman to back rebel amendments on Tuesday, were among those thought to have abstained on the final vote, bringing the size of the Tory rebellion close to 20.
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said after the result that the Bill would be open to legal challenges and was "destined to fail". Downing Street insisted the "landmark legislation" would ensure flights to Rwanda.
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Peers are being urged to "get on" and pass the Rwanda Bill to help stop the boats (Image: Getty)
Mr Sunak has made the Rwanda policy - first proposed in 2022 while Boris Johnson was in No. 10 - central to his premiership, forming part of his pledge to stop small boats of migrants from coming to Britain via the English Channel.
Under the plan, migrants who cross the Channel in small boats could be sent to Rwanda rather than being allowed to seek asylum in the UK.
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The legislation, along with a recently signed treaty with Kigali, is aimed at ensuring the scheme is legally watertight after a Supreme Court ruling against it last year.
The stalled policy comes with a ￡290million price tag, but no asylum seekers arriving by unauthorised routes have yet been relocated after a series of challenges in the courts.
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