LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised on Monday (Apr 22) to start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks as the upper house of parliament finally passed required legislation, del
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during a press conference at Downing Street in London, Britain, on Apr 22, 2024. LONDON: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised on Monday to start sending asylum seekers to Rwanda within 10 to 12 weeks as the upper house of parliament finally passed required legislation,
"No ifs, no buts. These flights are going to Rwanda," Sunak told a news conference earlier on Monday. Sunak's new law states some existing UK human rights statutes will not apply to the scheme and Rwanda must be treated by British judges as a safe destination, in a bid to override a Supreme Court ruling which declared the scheme unlawful.The legislation returned on Monday to the House of Commons - the elected lower house - where lawmakers removed changes proposed by the Lords before the upper chamber considered it again.
Speaking before the legislation was passed, Sunak said an airfield was on standby, slots were booked for flights and 500 staff were ready to escort migrants"all the way to Rwanda". Polls suggest his Conservative Party will be badly beaten in this year's election by Labour, which has said it will scrap the scheme if it wins power. Labour says it will pursue a deal with the European Union to return some arrivals to mainland Europe.
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