The United Kingdom’s upper house of parliament, the House of Lords passed a Bill this week which will basically deport undocumented and illegal immigrants to the East African nation of Rwanda.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made this a cornerstone issue. He has often emphasised the need for stopping the inflow of small boats coming to the country, carrying migrants who are often trying to escape violence, persecution and instability in their home countries.
However, the plan for sending migrants to Rwanda has been a divisive one and contentious one. Last year, the British Supreme Court had put this controversial bill on hold. It had called the Rwanda policy illegal. The bill that passed this week is the Sunak govt’s way of circumventing last year’s supreme court ruling.
On Crux Decode, we explain why some people see this as a controversial move. Why Sunak and his govt have thrown their weight behind this move and are hinging their election campaign on this issue. Can Labour, which is currently well ahead in the polls, find a resonant counter to the ‘Stop the Boats’ movement?