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The UN on Tuesday expressed concern that other countries would follow Britain after the government passed controversial legislation to block people claiming asylum in the UK and relocate them to Rwanda.
The illegal migration bill, which is the linchpin of UK prime minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats” crossing the Channel to England, is to become law after the government saw off a series of proposed amendments by the House of Lords on Monday night.
UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Türk said the bill “sets a worrying precedent for dismantling asylum-related obligations that other countries, including in Europe, may be tempted to follow”.
He added this could have “a potentially adverse effect on the international refugee and human rights protection system as a whole”.
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Mr Türk urged the British government to reverse the law, and increase the availability of safe pathways for legal migration in order to limit the use of irregular and illegal routes.
The end of the legislative debate between the House of Commons and the Lords came as the Bibby Stockholm barge docked in Dorset where it is expected to house up to 500 migrants, with the first arrivals expected this month.
Ministers’ plans to house asylum seekers in the 93m long vessel have faced intense backlash from local people and council members, who said the proposal was cruel and would place undue strain on the community.
The passing of the bill in the Commons on Monday night was a critical moment for the legislation, which has faced a fierce battle with lawyers and civil rights groups but is popular among the right flank of Mr Sunak’s Conservative party.
The bill will bar from claiming asylum anyone entering the UK without permission, legally obliging the home secretary to detain and deport them either to their country of origin or to a safe third country. It will now need to receive royal assent from King Charles to become law.
A last-ditch attempt by peers to make nine amendments to the bill, including moves to protect against LGBT+ people being deported to unsafe countries and to compel ministers to create safe and legal routes for prospective asylum seekers within nine months, was voted down.
Former prime minister Theresa May was among several MPs who fought to retain some of the changes proposed by the Lords, including trying to ensure migrants have some protections under modern slavery laws, which was rejected by 205 votes to 193.
The bill was sent back to the Lords late on Monday night after all of the remaining amendments had been vetoed by MPs in the House of Commons, and the legislation was passed.
Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was ultimately unsuccessful in his attempt to propose an amendment to the bill calling on the government to develop a long-term strategy for tackling the refugee crisis and human trafficking.
The Lords were successful this month at winning some concessions from the government, including limiting the length of time children and pregnant women could be detained and preventing the legislation being enforced retrospectively.
Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said the Conservatives had “lost all common sense and decency” and were pushing ahead with a plan that was likely to increase the asylum backlog and the number of people staying in costly hotels.
Sending asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost roughly £170,000 (€198,000) per person, according to UK government estimates.
The Rwanda policy was deemed unlawful by the court of appeal last month. It argued that the east African nation was not a “safe third country” in which asylum claims could be processed.
Mr Sunak has insisted that Rwanda is safe and will take his case to the UK supreme court.
This year, 13,200 displaced people have crossed the Channel in small boats, according to data provided by the Home Office. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023