A bill to expel migrants in Rwanda has been adopted by deputies

Maria Unger / AFP

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on January 17, 2024.

International – Victory for Rishi Sunak. Overcoming a coup attempt in his majority, the British conservative prime minister won the green light from deputies this Wednesday, January 17, for his bill, controversial but crucial to his political survival, aimed at deporting illegal immigrants to Rwanda.

After two days of heated debate in the Palace of Westminster, closed-door negotiations and loud resignations, the dissenters returned to the ranks and the text was approved at third reading in the House of Commons by 320 votes to 276.

This is a relief for Rishi Sunak. Well ahead of Labor in the polls at the start of the election year, he put all his weight in the balance to push through the project, which was supposed to show his firmness on a key concern of his base, but which would expose the fragmentation of his majority. , moderates and the extreme right want to go further, fearing an attack on international law.

Tensions in Parliament

The text aims to respond to the objections of the British Supreme Court, which declared the project illegal in its previous version due to fears for the safety of asylum seekers sent to Rwanda in particular.

According to the project, the latter, wherever they come from, will have their file checked in Rwanda and will then be unable to return to the United Kingdom under any circumstances, only being able to seek asylum in the African country if successful.

During its examination, dozens of conservative deputies supported, to no avail, amendments aimed at hardening the text, particularly trying to limit the right of migrants to appeal their expulsion.

Tensions also rose after the resignation of two Conservative Party vice-presidents, hard-liners who had the support of former prime minister Boris Johnson, on Tuesday.

Text blocked by Supreme Court

Announced by the latter in April 2022, the project aimed to discourage the influx of migrants in small boats across the Channel: around 30,000 last year after a record in 2022 (45,000).

But the text has never been implemented so far. The first plane was blocked at the last minute by the decision of the European courts, then the British courts, up to the Supreme Court, declared the project illegal in its initial version.

In an attempt to save its text, strongly criticized by humanitarian organizations, the government signed a new treaty with Rwanda. It is backed by this new bill that defines Rwanda as a safe third country and prevents migrants from returning to their countries of origin. It also proposes not to apply to exclusion certain provisions of British human rights law, in order to limit legal recourse.

A year after entering Downing Street, Rishi Sunak is counting on the success of the project to show that he is able to keep one of his key promises: to end the arrival of migrant boats on British shores. . His bill now has to be approved by unelected members of the House of Lords, who can amend it.

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