The House of Lords’ vote to delay the Rwanda Treaty will not prevent the Government getting deportation flights off in the spring, Downing Street has said.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the vote to delay ratification of the Treaty until extra safeguards have been put in place would not “impact our timelines for the progress of the Bill or getting the flights off the ground”.
On Monday, the Lords approved a motion by 214 votes to 171 demanding a delay in the ratification of the new, legally binding treaty signed with Rwanda last month. They backed a report by their international treaties committee setting out a 10-point action plan of safeguards that needed to be implemented first.
The Treaty underpins the Rwanda Bill, which declares the country safe for asylum seekers, by setting out legal safeguards and extra infrastructure aimed at correcting the deficiencies identified in Rwanda’s asylum system by the Supreme Court.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “We have assurances from Rwanda that all the measures will be expedited and will be in place by the Spring.”
He believed both the Treaty and the Bill would be completed and the flights would take off in the spring. “I am not aware of there being any issue in terms of implementing the relevant elements in order to allow flights to take off,” he said.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
