MALVERN MP Harriet Baldwin has voted in favour of the controversial Rwanda bill, which will now become law.
The Safety of Rwanda Bill completed its passage through Parliament overnight on Monday, April 22.
This allows the government to enter the final phase of operational planning to get flights off to Rwanda, with the first expected to be delivered within 10 and 12 weeks.
A statement released by number 10 said the bill made it unambiguously clear UK Parliament was sovereign, and the validity of any Act of Parliament is unaffected by international law.
The legislation will prevent legal challenges from being used to delay or halt a person’s removal to Rwanda because the country is generally unsafe.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The passing of this landmark legislation is not just a step forward but a fundamental change in the global equation on migration.
“We introduced the Rwanda Bill to deter vulnerable migrants from making perilous crossings and break the business model of the criminal gangs who exploit them.
“The passing of this legislation will allow us to do that and make it very clear that if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay.”
Sacha Deshmukh, the UK chief executive of human rights organisation Amnesty International UK said the passing of the Rwanda bill was a ‘national disgrace.’
“Today will leave a stain on this country’s moral reputation.
“The UK parliament has passed a bill that takes a hatchet to international legal protections for some of the most vulnerable people in the world and it is a matter of national disgrace that our political establishment has let this bill pass.”
