Former Conservative Party leader Lord Howard has said illegal migrants will choose to stay in France rather than risk being deported to Rwanda if the Government’s flagship Bill is passed into law.
Lord Howard, a former Home Secretary, said the Rwanda Bill has a “good chance of working” while batting for the legislation this morning.
The House of Lords will debate the Bill this afternoon, following the Prime Minister’s stern warning that the unelected chamber must not frustrate the will of the British public.
Nearly 50 amendments have been put forward by Peers hoping to weaken the legislation and strengthen the human rights of those facing deportation.
Speaking on the Today programme, Lord Howard said the threat of deportation will act as a deterrent to migrants considering the dangerous small boat crossing across the Channel.
He predicted that, provided the Bill is passed without further weakening by Peers, it is a “fair bet” that migrants will choose to stay in France rather than face being flown to the African country.
He pointed to examples from other countries, notably Australia, where a similar system “has been proved to be a deterrent”.
He added: “That gives us some reason to believe that this too will be a deterrent. After all, France – from which people come across the Channel – is a perfectly safe country and if people have the option of staying in France or going to Rwanda, it’s a fair bet they might choose France”.
The top Tory also schooled the BBC’s Mishal Husain over the concept of Parliamentary sovereignty.
Ms Husain asked whether there are “limits to what Parliament can put in a Bill” after the Supreme Court blocked the Government’s top policy, claiming the Government’s Bill is unconstitutional.
Lord Howard explained that it wasn’t the role of the Supreme Court “to decided this for itself!”
He said: “What Parliament is being asked by the Government to do is to restore the position to what it was, as confirmed by the divisional court.
“The highest court applied a different test, a test that is completely contrary to the doctrine of the separation of powers.
“I don’t believe it should have done that and the Government is rightly asking Parliament to restore the matter in the way we’ve always understood the separation of powers to operate under our constitutional arrangements.”
Among key amendments to be voted on in the Lords are Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti’s demand for ministers to provide evidence to support their claims that Rwanda is a safe country.
If the Government faces defeats on key amendendments, the Bill will enter a stage called ‘Ping Pong’, in which the Commons will have the opportunity to reject said changes before being sent back to the Lords to see whether Peers will back down.
This morning, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said the Government remains committed to sending flights to Rwanda “in the spring”.
He said: “The Prime Minister is focused on delivering for the British people and stopping the boats, and he is clear that our partnership with Rwanda is one of the key levers to deliver this.
“Our legally binding treaty makes clear that individuals relocated to Rwanda under the partnership will not be returned to an unsafe country and building on our treaty the Bill will make absolutely clear in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country and a key part of our efforts to stop the boats and save lives.
“Through our treaty and Bill we will control our borders, deter people taking perilous journeys, reduce the strain on our public services and end the continuous legal challenges against removals.”
