Flagship Rwanda bill to be delayed after Lords inflict seven defeats

Rishi Sunak's flagship Rwanda deportation bill is expected to be put on hold until at least next month after the House of Lords inflicted seven defeats yesterday.

- Rajeev Sval

The safety of Rwanda (asylum and immigration) bill, which aims to block Strasbourg from halting the removal of asylum seekers to east Africa, is not expected to return to the Commons until after the Easter break.

Any delay could make it increasingly difficult to fulfil the prime minister's plan to see flights take off for Kigali by the spring.

The legislation is central to the Conservative government's pledge to "stop the boats".

Ministers have claimed that the bill will deter people from travelling across the Channel.

In the wake of the defeats, the Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti said: "Given that the prime minister has bet the house on this post-truth bill, these further Lords defeats leave his credibility even more denuded.