Government urges peers to end stand-off over Illegal Migration Bill

Concerns remain over powers in the Bill, including on the detention of unaccompanied children and treatment of modern slavery victims.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said it was ‘disappointing’ that peers have continued to make amendments to the Bill (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)

The Government has urged the House of Lords to allow the Illegal Migration Bill to become law, as ministers signalled no further concessions are planned.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said it was “disappointing” that peers have continued to make amendments to the Bill, which is a key part of the Government’s bid to tackle the small boats crisis.

Mr Jenrick added the views of the elected Commons “should prevail” ahead of a series of votes which saw MPs approve nine motions to overturn Lords amendments.

Concerns remain over powers in the Bill to detain unaccompanied children, with peers wanting to impose an absolute time limit of 72 hours.

The Lords argued the Government’s amendment, which permits a tribunal to grant bail to an unaccompanied child after eight days, is “not the same” as having an absolute time limit.

But MPs voted 289 to 220, majority 69, to reject the Lords amendments 36C and 36D, with the division list showing 11 Conservative MPs rebelled in a bid to retain the changes.

Peers also wanted to impose a duty on the Government to provide safe and legal routes for asylum seekers to come to the UK, although this was rejected in the Commons by 284 to 226, majority 58.

The division list showed 12 Tory MPs rebelled on this vote.

The problem is that there have been concessions, but there are still too many unanswered questions and we need those extra assurances

Conservative MP Tim Loughton

Another amendment aimed to retain protections for victims of modern slavery who have been exploited in the UK, including those who are co-operating with criminal investigations.

MPs voted 282 to 227, majority 55, to reject the modern slavery protections, with the division list showing 13 Conservatives rebelled in a bid to retain the changes – including former ministers Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Tracey Crouch and Sir Robert Buckland.

The Bill returned to the Lords on Monday evening and the Government defeated the opening two bids by peers to make further amendments, including a demand to allow an asylum claim to be considered if a person has not been removed from the UK within six months – unless they were to blame for the hold-up.

The draft legislation as a whole would prevent people from claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means.

The Government also hopes the changes will ensure detained people are promptly removed, either to their home country or a third country such as Rwanda.

But the Bill is currently at the parliamentary stage known as ping-pong, in which both Houses make changes until they can agree on the final wording.

Mr Jenrick told the Commons: “Last Tuesday, this House voted 18 times, more times than in any other day on any other given piece of legislation, and 18 times this House voted to support this Bill.”

He added: “This House sent back to the House of Lords their 20 amendments to the Bill, many of them simply driving a coach and horses through the fabric of the legislation.

“We brought forward reasonable amendments where it was sensible to do so, and it is disappointing to say the least that some of these have been rejected.

“I welcome the fact that the 20 issues we debated last week have now been whittled down to nine, but the issue now before the House is whether the clearly expressed views of this House, the elected chamber, not just in the vote last week, but throughout the earlier passage of the Bill, should prevail.

“We believe that inaction is not an option, that we must stop the boats, and that this Bill is a key part of our plan to do just that.”

Downing Street said it remained in the position that no further concessions are planned on the Bill.

Conservative former minister Tim Loughton said there were “still too many outstanding questions”.

He told the Commons: “Can I make it absolutely clear I support this Bill, I want this Bill to go through as quickly as possible and I support the Rwanda scheme.

“Objecting to some of the trafficking measures in the Bill is about protecting a victim and prosecuting traffickers, not undermining the Bill. Having greater safeguards on how we look after children who’ve arrived here don’t undermine the Bill, they strengthen it.”

He added: “The problem is that there have been concessions, but there are still too many unanswered questions and we need those extra assurances.”

SNP immigration spokesman Stuart McDonald said: “This Bill is about locking up kids, about forcing trafficking victims back to their exploiters, mass detention, closure of the UK asylum system and the trashing of international laws.”

Conservative former minister Sir John Hayes told the Commons: “Let’s have less sanctimony and more common sense, less self-righteousness and more selfless commitment to the people’s will, less soul-searching and more heartfelt advocacy for the interests of hard-working, law-abiding, decent, patriotic Britons who support this Bill (and) oppose the Lords amendments, which is the way I shall be voting this evening.”

The debate in Parliament came as an accommodation barge set to house 500 asylum seekers was on the move.

Plans to house migrants on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Portland Port, Dorset, are a month behind schedule but the vessel has finally left Falmouth, Cornwall, where work was being carried out to prepare it for its new role.

Downing Street defended the use of barges to house migrants, insisting it is a cheaper alternative to housing them in hotels.

Comedian Dom Joly, dressed as Mickey Mouse and holding a placard saying “stop child detention”, also led a Save the Children protest against the Bill outside the Home Office in central London earlier on Monday.

The protest followed criticism directed at ministers over a decision to paint over murals of Disney characters, including Mickey and Baloo from The Jungle Book, at a migrant reception centre in Kent.