Sunak’s Rwanda plan defeated in Lords again – forcing MPs to consider four changes
New defeats for the government’s Rwanda bill in the House of Lords have set up a parliamentary showdown on Wednesday – forcing MPs to consider changes to Rishi Sunak’s stop the boats plan.
Downing Street wants to get the bill – which declares Rwanda a safe country and stops appeals from asylum seekers being sent there on safety grounds – on the statute books this week.
On Monday, the House of Commons stripped seven amendments from the bill previously imposed by the Lords. It was then debated again today.
Politics latest:
No 10 criticises bid to shut down Brussels conference
But with new amendments being added once again by peers, the Commons will need to debate these changes and vote on them on Wednesday – with the Lords sitting later in the evening to consider whether to implement further amendments.
The government had been hoping to get the bill passed on Wednesday, but this depends on parliamentary arithmetic and whether peers propose more changes.
A date for when the government wants to start flights is not set in stone – although ministers have said they want to do so within weeks.
Sunak badly burnt by Tory rebellion as jostling for leadership begins
Rishi Sunak has been badly burned by a Commons rebellion by nearly 60 Tory MPs who voted against his flagship Tobacco and Vaping Bill.
When Commons deputy speaker Dame Eleanor Laing called the vote just before 7pm, the rebels on the Conservative back benches made a lot of noise screaming “No!”
And minutes later it was revealed that their rebellion was not only noisy but also a defiant show of strength by the mutinous Tory right that will leave the PM and his allies gasping.
In an ominous but entirely predictable warning shot to the PM, the list of rebels included a roll call of the right-wing contenders for the Tory crown, both serving and former cabinet ministers.
Four fresh defeats for plan in the Lords
An attempt to add an amendment by Lord Vernon Coaker, a Labour frontbencher, was successful – by 258 votes to 233.
This amendment aimed to force the bill to have “due regard” to international law and also the Children Act, Human Rights Act and Modern Slavery Act.
It is a slightly more focused attempt to force the bill to comply with existing legislation.
An amendment proposed by crossbencher and former judge Lord David Hope was also successful, with 266 peers voting for it, and 227 against.
It sought to stop the government from declaring Rwanda safe until a report had been completed by a monitoring committee set up as part of the new treaty.
The change also provided a pathway to remove the safe status via a report to the government by the same committee.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
A third amendment, proposed by Labour backbencher Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, also succeeded, with 253 peers backing it and 236 opposing.
This amendment is another attempt to introduce a way to appeal against the assertion that Rwanda is a safe country, and to provide a way to stop people being deported during appeals.
A fourth amendment, in the name of Labour’s Lord Des Browne, was also successful, with a vote of 275 to 218.
Lord Browne’s amendment seeks to exempt those who served for or with the British armed forces from being sent to Rwanda.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
Read more from Sky News:
Survivor reflects on five years on from COVID
At least 12 people injured in shooting in Toronto
By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports11 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway