UK Prime Minister Faces Backlash Over Controversial Asylum Seeker Deportation Bill

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended a controversial bill proposing the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda, designating it a ‘safe’ country and allowing exemptions from certain human rights laws.

The bill faced internal opposition, leading to the resignation of Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick. The UK Supreme Court had previously deemed the government’s Rwanda policy unlawful. Sunak’s leadership is at risk if the bill fails in the December 12 vote.

Approximately 46,000 individuals attempted to enter the UK illegally in 2022, with Sunak promising to “stop the boats.” Critics argue the bill lacks strength in excluding international human rights obligations. Sunak, emphasizing parliamentary sovereignty, contends that legal challenges have been addressed. Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a supporter of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), warned of electoral consequences if the bill doesn’t pass, expressing doubt about its effectiveness on December 7.