Summary

  • Five people including a seven-year-old girl have died while trying to cross the Channel in a small boat

  • The BBC witnessed people scrambling onto the boat, as well as police efforts to stop them

  • The incident comes as the UK's parliament passed the PM's flagship Rwanda bill after months of wrangling

  • It will see some asylum seekers sent to the east-central African country to have their claims processed

  • The bill designates Rwanda a safe country but the plan is fiercely criticised by opposition and rights groups

  • Rishi Sunak says today's deaths serve as a reminder of why he wants to deter people smugglers

Live Reporting

Edited by Sam Hancock

  1. 'No more prevarication or delay' - Sunak on Rwanda bill

    Sunak and Dowden at a meeting in No 10PA Media

    Rishi Sunak, pictured speaking to his Cabinet this morning

    We're expecting Sunak to give a statement from Downing Street shortly on the Rwanda bill, before it is voted on in the Commons later today.

    "No more prevarication, no more delay," was his rallying cry at a meeting of the government's illegal migration operations committee this morning.

    The PM said the bill sends a "clear message" that illegal migrants will not be able to stay in the UK.

    He said Rwanda is a "safe country", adding that his "landmark legislation" comes after "months and months of hard work and planning".

    As a reminder, you can watch the press conference live by pressing the play button at the top of this page.

  2. Analysis

    Rwanda bill to 'ping pong' through Parliament until it passes

    Harry Farley
    Political correspondent

    It is more than four months since the government’s Rwanda bill was introduced in the House of Commons. It’s more than two years since the policy to send some asylum seekers in the UK to Rwanda.

    But today might be the day the legislation is finally passed.

    Rishi Sunak certainly hopes so. “We will sit there and vote until it's done,” he said on Friday.

    So the bill will bounce – or ping and pong – between the House of Commons and House of Lords until it gets through.

    Labour sources in the House of Lords tell me they are not prepared to back down unless the government offers some form of concession on their call for anyone who had worked with UK forces overseas – particularly Afghans who helped British troops – to be exempt from being sent to Rwanda.

    But the government argues it is not necessary because there are already safe routes for Afghans to come to the UK so they don’t need to cross the Channel. They are in no mood to compromise on that, or the other Lords amendment expected to allow an independent monitoring committee to regularly assess whether Rwanda is safe.

    Labour concedes that eventually, the amendments will fall. But it may take several attempts. If it does go back and forth between the houses several times, it could be a late night for everyone here in Westminster.

  3. What is happening to the Rwanda bill in Parliament?

    Rishi Sunak stands at a podium with the slogan "Stop The Boats" seen underneathPA Media

    The bill was passed by the House of Commons on 17 January, despite opposition from some Conservative MPs who wanted it "beefed up".

    It has then passed back and forth several times between the Lords and the Commons. Peers have repeatedly voted to amend the legislation, but MPs have overturned all of those changes. Given the government's majority, the bill had been expected to clear its final stages on Wednesday, but another vote is expected today.

    If it does go through, charities supporting asylum seekers have said they plan to launch legal challenges"as quickly as possible".

  4. What is the Rwanda asylum plan?

    Members of the staff in green reflective vests board a plane reported by British media to be first to attempt to transport migrants to RwandaReuters

    Under a five-year agreement, the government said some asylum seekers arriving in the UK would be sent to Rwanda, to have their claims processed there.

    If successful, they could be granted refugee status and allowed to stay. If not, they could apply to settle in Rwanda on other grounds, or seek asylum in another "safe third country".

    No asylum seeker would be able to apply to return to the UK. Under the policy, anyone "entering the UK illegally" after 1 January 2022 could be sent to Rwanda, with no limit on numbers.

    Ministers have argued the plan would deter people from arriving in the UK on small boats across the English Channel. However, when the scheme was first announced, the most senior Home Office civil servant said there was little evidence the effect would be "significant enough to make the policy value for money".

    No asylum seeker has yet been sent to Rwanda - a small landlocked country in central Africa - 4,000 miles (6,500km) from the UK. The first flight was scheduled to go in June 2022, but was cancelled after legal challenges.

  5. Sunak’s big push to get the Rwanda bill off the ground

    Johanna Chisholm
    Live reporter

    Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the British government trying to get its flagship bill — which seeks to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda – across the finish line.

    The Safety of Rwanda Bill returns to Parliament this afternoon, with Rishi Sunak vowing to keep members of both the upper and lower chambers there until the wee hours, if necessary, to “vote until it's done”.

    We’ll be hearing from the prime minister at 10:30 BST, ahead of the debate in the Commons, where he’s expected to talk about the bill that has ping-ponged back and forth between the two houses since January.

    As a reminder, the legislation being debated today is designed to ensure that migrants can be sent to Rwanda by curbing legal challenges. The government has been trying to get the bill through the Lords and enact the legislation since January, in the wake of an unfavourable Supreme Court ruling last year.