Peers, including senior Tories, vote by margins of about 100 votes for changes to legislation, which will have to go back to Commons

Rishi Sunak has suffered his heaviest defeat in the House of Lords after the archbishop of Canterbury and former Conservative ministers joined forces with the opposition to force through five amendments to the Rwandan deportation bill.

The string of government setbacks, most passed by unusually large margins of about 100 votes, means the legislation, which aims to clear the way to send asylum seekers on a one-way flight to Kigali, will have to go back to the Commons.

The prime minister has previously warned the unelected chamber against frustrating the “will of the people” by hampering the passage of his safety of Rwanda (asylum and immigration) bill, which has been approved by MPs.

  • Echo Dot
    8•9 months ago

    The irony of an unelected prime minister threatening an unelected chamber is palpable.

    Interesting that he knows it’s the will of the people despite having no possible way of determining that. There hasn’t been a referendum, there hasn’t been an election with this on the manifesto, there has been multiple protests about it but apparently they don’t count. Despite all the evidence, it is the will of the people.

    Anyone who disagrees with the will of the people is not “the people”, even if the majority of people disagree with “the will of the people”. Interesting that.