Asylum seekers arriving in UK on small boats are now one step closer to being deported as bill clears Commons

Majority of MPs vote in favour of Illegal Migration Bill

Migrants brought in to Dungeness in Kent (PA Wire)

Rishi Sunak’s legislation aimed at cracking down on asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats has cleared the Commons and now moves to the Lords.

The Illegal Migration Bill, an attempt to detain and deport small boat migrants, has passed at the third reading staged after MPs voted in favour by 289 votes to 230 – a majority of 59.

It came despite Theresa May’s warning that the bill would mean more people in Britain facing modern slavery – with the former Tory PM condemning government attempts to address the issue as a “slap in the face”.