Sunak set to play hardball on Rwanda Bill over 'ping pong with peers

RISHI SUNAK went head-to-head in a constitutional clash with the Lords as his Government vowed to throw out the latest changes to his flagship Rwanda Bill made by peers.

- Nicholas Cecil

The Prime Minister was urged to make “concessions,” including giving Parliament at least a “view” on whether Rwanda is a “safe” country to which to deport asylum seekers, to ease the legislation’s passage through the Lords.

But Health Minister Dame Andrea Leadsom signalled the Government would play hardball after peers voted through seven amendments to the legislation last night.

As the Lords and Commons were now locked in a “ping pong” stand-off over the proposed new law, she told Times Radio: “The Bill is coming back to the Commons on April 15. We will be overturning the Lords amendments again. We are absolutely preparing full steam ahead for those flights to take off and the bill is coming back on the first day after the Easter recess.”