In British parliamentary jargon, this is called “ping-pong”. A delicate exchange of arms between the House of Commons and that of Lords began on Wednesday March 20 behind the thick walls of the Palace of Westminster. Led by Labor members and a handful of bishops (ex officio members of the Upper House), the Lords are trying to soften the terms of the Safety of Rwanda Bill, a bill aimed at deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda . With Parliament suspended for a fortnight from March 26, the bill will return to the Commons in mid-April where, with the Conservatives having a majority, the Lords’ additions will likely be struck out.
This ‘ping-pong’ will last until the government gives ground or, more likely, the Lords let go, with the Upper House not having the final say on bills. Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants the text to be adopted so that planes can take off for Rwanda as soon as ” this spring “.
His ambition has become largely symbolic. According to British media, only 150 to 200 asylum seekers have been identified by the Home Office to be sent to Rwanda, where a single hotel, the Hope Hostel, in Kigali, the capital, is ready to welcome them. But the Tories are losing ground in the polls, and these flights to the East African country appear to be Rishi Sunak’s last hope of not sinking in the fall’s general election. If the Safety of Rwanda Bill is adopted, if final legal recourses do not ground the planes, their passengers will be the first forcibly displaced persons within the framework of the famous “Rwanda” agreement, announced two years ago but still not operational because having turned into a political-legal saga.
April 14, 2022: the host of Downing Street is still called Boris Johnson, the leader, mired in the “partygate” scandal (which cost him his job a few months later), creates a surprise by unveiling an agreement with Rwanda , led with an iron fist by President Paul Kagame, still marked by the 1994 genocide, but who is experiencing strong economic dynamism. This will involve deporting people who arrived in the United Kingdom illegally (without a visa, by boat or hidden in trucks). They will only be able to claim asylum on the territory of Rwanda, which will examine their request. The United Kingdom is the first European country to attempt a complete delegation of its responsibilities in asylum procedures.
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