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Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick has accused peers of “wrecking” the government’s asylum reforms, as MPs prepare for key votes on the plans.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Mr Jenrick said ministers could not support some of the changes peers made to the Illegal Migration Bill.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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MPs are expected to overturn most of the 20 changes to the bill voted through by the House of Lords.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But the government has offered some concessions, including on detention limits for children and pregnant women.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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MPs are debating the bill in the Commons, where they are expected to cast a series of votes on amendments backed by the Lords.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The bill is central to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to stop small boats crossing the English Channel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The latest figures show more than 13,000 migrants have made the crossing so far this year, including more than 1,600 in the last four days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Earlier, Mr Sunak said he was “throwing absolutely everything” at tackling Channel crossings and insisted his plan to stop the boats was “working”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But back in Parliament, the passage of the Illegal Migration Bill has not been easy, with peers demanding changes and campaigners calling on MPs to reject the government’s proposals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n- More than 1,000 people cross the Channel in two days<\/li>\n
- Lords vote to keep child migrant detention limits<\/li>\n
- Lords back Archbishop’s plan for refugee strategy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The bill is the government’s attempt to deter people from making the crossing by toughening up the rules and conditions around seeking asylum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It would place a legal duty on the government to detain and remove migrants arriving in the UK illegally, either to Rwanda or another “safe” third country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The bill originally removed the existing time limits on how long unaccompanied children and pregnant women could be detained, but they were reinstated by peers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On Monday night, ministers proposed an amendment to allow immigration bail to be granted after eight days to unaccompanied children in detention.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The government has also agreed to keep the current limit on detaining pregnant women at 72 hours. But ministers will still have powers to extend detention to seven days.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Another new change means the duty on the home secretary to remove anyone entering the UK without permission will only apply when the legislation becomes law, not retrospectively.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Some of the government’s critics over the child detention issue have said they will accept the eight-day compromise, but intend to push for more concessions on the quality of accommodation provided.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Opening Tuesday’s debate, Mr Jenrick paid tribute to the Lords for “undertaking its proper role as a revising chamber”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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But he added: “Some of the changes made by the House of Lords are however, little short of wrecking amendments, and not one that the government can support.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mr Jenrick said it was “vital” that the bill is passed quickly and described amendments made by the Lords as being “riddled with exceptions and get-out clauses”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Stephen Kinnock, Labour’s shadow immigration minister, said the government’s Rwanda plan was “fundamentally flawed” and accused Mr Jenrick of “pettiness” for painting over Mickey Mouse cartoons in an immigration centre.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mr Kinnock said the bill would “only make a terrible situation worse” by increasing the asylum backlog, and “ensure people smugglers are laughing all the way to the bank”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Race to recess<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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With Parliament due to break for summer at the end of next week, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the government’s proposals would help the “crucial” new law pass “swiftly”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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It would also “send a clear message that the exploitation of children and vulnerable people, used by criminals and ferried across the Channel, cannot continue,” she added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The government’s efforts to curb the number of small boats crossing the Channel have been hampered in Parliament and the courts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A plan to house asylum seekers on a barge moored in Dorset has been delayed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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And the government’s policy of sending migrants to Rwanda is set for a legal battle in the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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On Monday, a senior Home Office official confirmed the department was paying to keep nearly 5,000 beds empty across the country, in case a sudden influx of migrants caused overcrowding at detention centres. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The government has stressed it remains committed to its plan to remove migrants to Rwanda, and has said it will challenge a Court of Appeal ruling last week that this was unlawful.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n