British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak presented draft emergency legislation on Wednesday, which he said would pave the way for asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda, but his immigration minister resigned immediately.
Asylum seekers are to be sent to Rwanda under the “Safety of Rwanda Bill,” which was published the day after Britain signed a new treaty with Rwanda.
While the government said the bill was “the toughest immigration legislation ever introduced” and would be fast-tracked through parliament, it immediately divided his party.
With this new landmark emergency legislation, we will control our borders, deter people from taking perilous journeys across the channel, and end the continuous legal challenges that fill our courts,” said Sunak, who said flights would begin by the spring of next year.
The bill will instruct judges to ignore some sections of the Human Rights Act (HRA) and provisions of domestic or international law that might deem Rwanda not a safe country to send asylum seekers to, but a person could still appeal based on specific circumstances.
The European Court of Human Rights issued an interim order last year blocking the first planned flight, which must also be complied with by ministers alone.
