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In early January, the House of Commons approved the controversial bill before their colleagues in the upper chamber voted to delay it. The bill compels judges to regard Rwanda as a safe country and gives ministers the power to disregard parts of the Human Rights Act
The failure of the Asylum bill to pass the litmus test of the Upper House is considered a major setback for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who vowed to put a stop to irregular migration a top issue on his agenda. In the next general elections, eleven months from now, Sunak wanted to show the passage of the bill as a major victory. The efforts, so far, have not met with any success. The bill wants to label Rwanda a safe country for deportees to sidestep a Supreme Court ruling that declared the East African country unsuitable.
The House of Lords passed five amendments to the draft text. If those amendments are ratified, it would make it harder for the House of Commons to declare Rwanda “safe” and would require the government to comply with domestic and international law. There were 277 votes in favor of establishing a mechanism to monitor whether Rwanda is safe to 167 in opposition. This means the bill has to go back to the House of Commons, which can lead to further delays in deportation. Political analysts say this would set in motion a political ping-pong, delaying the process and denying Sunak the pollical advantage had the bill got passed.
In early January, the House of Commons approved the controversial bill before their colleagues in the upper chamber voted to delay it. The bill compels judges to regard Rwanda as a safe country and gives ministers the power to disregard parts of the Human Rights Act.
For accepting deportees, Kigali has so far got US$300 million from London. After numerous court cases and international outcry, no deportation flights have taken off under the deal struck in April 2022. Prime Minister Sunak has vowed to press ahead with the plan. A recent report, which was referred to by www.trendanafrica.com, revealed that the real cost of the British exchequer by way of the legislation could be more than what is in the public domain.
Meanwhile, Albania has agreed to host two migrant processing centers on its territory that will be fully run by Italy. Although human rights activists expressed their concerns about the proposed move, the European Union is broadly in agreement with the proposal. Migrant arrivals in Italy increased to nearly 160,000 a year, an increase of 55%. Illegal migration is a hot political issue in Italy like in other West European countries.
In January, Albania’s Constitutional Court rejected a legal challenge that could have blocked the deal. Albania’s parliament gave a nod to the plan with 77 votes, while 63 lawmakers were marked not present as the opposition refused to participate. The president also will issue a decree as the final step of approval.
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EU members and institutions are trying to push long-awaited asylum and migration reforms through the bloc’s parliament before the polls. Mainstream parties hope the new rules will allow them to refute anti-migrant arguments espoused by populist and far-right groups.
