Sir Keir Starmer predicts the Government’s Rwanda legislation will sail through a parliamentary vote on Tuesday – and indicated a Labour government could consider a third-country asylum offshoring scheme.
As Rishi Sunak battles to ward off a revolt from his MPs over his Bill, the Labour leader said he has no doubt the Tories will back it in a crunch Commons vote.
Answering questions after a major speech in Buckinghamshire, Sir Keir told reporters on Tuesday: “It’ll go through tonight, I don’t doubt. There’ll be a lot of shouting and screaming but in the end, it’ll go through…
“I don’t think we should allow them the indulgence of pretending it’s going to be tight and he’s done a brilliant job to get it over the line.
“He’s got an 80-seat majority, he should get it over the line very, very easily.”
If Mr Sunak does lose the vote, Sir Keir said “of course he should call a general election”.
Labour will vote against the Safety of Rwanda Bill, a piece of emergency legislation aimed at reviving the Government’s flagship asylum policy after the Supreme Court ruled it unlawful.
“We will oppose the scheme this evening for a number of reasons – it doesn’t work, it will cost a fortune… and it is against our values,” Sir Keir said.
He accused the Tories of being in an “indulgent vortex” of infighting, as he promised “practical” ways of preventing small boats from crossing the Channel, including tackling people-smuggling gangs.
Sir Keir, who has dismissed the Prime Minister’s bid to deport some asylum seekers to the African nation as a “gimmick”, signalled that he would consider a scheme under which asylum claims are processed elsewhere.
Pointing out how this would differ from the Rwanda plan, he said: “This is a straight deportation scheme in relation to people who’ve already arrived.
“Other countries around the world do have schemes where they divert people on the way and process them elsewhere. That’s a different kind of scheme.
“And, look, I’ll look at any scheme that might work.”
The Opposition leader said that if the Rwanda legislation passes and Labour wins a general election next year, as polls suggest it is on track to do, he would scrap the scheme.
He said the £240 million already spent would not prevent him from repealing the law, saying the money has “already been wasted”.
Conservative Party chairman Richard Holden said Sir Keir is blocking the Rwanda plan “because he has never truly believed in being tough on illegal immigration and deterring people from making dangerous Channel crossings”.
“Whilst Labour stick to their same old short-term approach of more migration, more borrowing and more taxes, we are taking the long-term decisions to secure Britain’s future.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here