By Jessica Frank-Keyes
The House of Lords “must pass this bill”, Rishi Sunak has said after MPs backed his plans to pass new legislation to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.
Delivering a press conference in Downing Street this morning, Sunak described the measures as an “urgent national priority”.
But asked whether he could guarantee that flights would take off this year, Sunak said: “I want to see this happen as soon as practically possible… we’re not messing around.”
It came after new polling by YouGov with the Times revealed the Labour Party were 27 points ahead with the public, on 47 per cent to the Conservatives on 20 per cent.
The Prime Minister said: “There is now only one question: Will the opposition and the appointed House of Lords try and frustrate the will of the people as expressed by the elected House?
“Or will they get on board and do the right thing? It’s as simple as that.”
He stressed during his brief remarks – lasting just two and a half minutes – that if the bill were to fail in the Lords, “12 months of progress will be squandered” and “it would take us back to square one”.
Pressed on legal issues around the bill, including interim orders to stop flights, the Prime Minister said: “Are there circumstances in which I will ignore rule 39? The answer is clearly yes.”
He added: “I’ve been very clear that a foreign court won’t stop us from getting flights off… that’s why I can confidently say I will make sure I get this deterrent up and running.”
He also appeared to continue testing out new slogans for the general election, which must be held before January 2025, including “stick with the plan” and that: “Britain is pointing in the right direction.”
The statement followed his flagship legislation on deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda securing a Commons victory, as an anticipated Tory rebellion melted away at the 11th hour.
Sunak has made the policy a key plank of his premiership after pledging to ‘stop the boats’ as one of his five priorities outlined in January 2023.
Conservative deputy chairmen Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, as well as junior business minister Jane Stevenson quit their posts to back rebel amendments on Tuesday.
But when it came to the crunch third reading on Wednesday night – which would have given MPs the opportunity to dispel the legislation entirely – opposition appeared to have dissolved.
A loss would have proved a significant challenge to Sunak’s authority, despite not officially being designated a confidence matter.
