- A detailed look at the proposed amendments to the Rwanda Bill as the Lords backed down and Royal Assent was given.
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill to send asylum seekers to be processed in Rwanda finally completed its passage through Parliament just before midnight on Monday, 22 April. Royal Assent was given three days later. It is difficult to think of any piece of legislation that has attracted as much strong-principled criticism as what Lord Anderson of Ipswich called this ‘post-truth Bill’.
The Committee stage in the Lords took 18 hours of debate, spread over three days: 12, 14 and 19 February. A great number of amendments were moved, but none were put to the vote.
The Report stage, 4 and 6 March (another 11 hours of debate), resulted in ten government defeats by large majorities. (For details of the amendments passed, see below.)
When the Bill returned to the House of Commons on 15 April, after
