Rishi Sunak's flagship Rwanda plan faces fresh delays after peers inflicted two defeats on the Government tonight.
Peers snubbed calls to break the parliamentary deadlock and voted for a bid to exempt Afghan interpreters from the controversial plan by 247 votes to 195, majority 52. The Government was also defeated by 245 votes to 208, majority 37, on a requirement that the east African country cannot be treated as safe until promised protections are in place.
It means a fresh delay to the Prime Minister's desperate attempts to force the Safety of Rwanda Bill through Parliament, as the legislation will now have to go back to the Commons on Monday. The Bill aims to overcome legal hurdles to the long delayed Tory plan to hand asylum seekers a one-way ticket to Rwanda in an attempt to stem the number of migrants arriving in small boats.
It has been caught up in fraught parliamentary wrangling this week as peers continue to put forward changes to the Bill that are voted down in the Commons, where the Government has a majority.
Labour peer Lord Browne led a push to exempt Afghan nationals who assisted the British military from the deportation scheme, which must now go back to the Commons for a vote. He said: "Now is the time to give these people the sanctuary their bravery has earned. This worthless assurance won't do." Labour peer Lord Coaker said it was "morally bankrupt" of the Government not to prevent Afghan interpreters from facing deportation.
But Government minister Lord Sharpe insisted: "No word is being broken. We will not turn our backs on those who have supported our armed forces and the UK Government."
Earlier, No10 ruled out making any concessions to the Bill, including exempting Afghan nationals. The Prime Minister's official spokesman ruled out any such move, telling reporters: "We are not considering concessions. We believe the Bill as it stands is the right Bill and the quickest way to get flights off the ground."
Labour warned that Britain's armed forces will struggle to recruit local allies if the Government allows Afghan veterans to be deported to Rwanda. Shadow Home Office minister Stephen Kinnock told MPs: "We owe a debt of honour and gratitude to the Afghans who so bravely fought alongside British troops and the idea that we might send them to Rwanda is simply unconscionable.
"But Lord Browne's amendment is not only driven by a moral imperative, it is also underpinned by our national interest and by military logic for the simple and obvious reason that the ability of our armed forces to recruit local allies will be severely constrained if this Bill passes unamended."
Home Office Minister Michael Tomlinson tried to downplay concerns, saying: "This Government recognises the commitment and responsibility that comes with combat veterans, whether our own or those who have shown courage by serving alongside. I repeat: we will not let them down." He said the UK is reviewing its immigration legislation to ensure it will apply to those eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which offers sanctuary to Afghans left exposed by their work with the UK military.
The Government is pushing to break the deadlock to meet Mr Sunak’s commitment to get flights off in the “spring”. Yesterday, Mr Sunak refused to comment on reports the Government could use RAF Voyager aircraft for deportation flights after the Home Office failed to find an airline to do it.
He told reporters: "Once we get this bill onto the statute books we will do everything we can to get flights off to Rwanda, because fundamentally it's a matter of fairness. It's simply not right that people can jump the queue and come to our country illegally."