MPs vote to overturn migration bill changes in plan to crack down on small boats

MPs have just finished a 90-minute voting session that saw them defeat nine major amendments sent over by the House of Lords that they argued would undermine the effectiveness of the key legislation.

Tory MPs defeated opposition parties in rejecting amendments on issues such as a ten-year strategy on tackling human trafficking, abiding by international treaties, protections for child migrants and protection for LGBT migrants.

Most amendments were defeated with large Commons majorities, which the Government will hope sends a message to the Lords to back down from pushing them again.

The bill will now return to the Lords later this evening, where they will have to sit late to deliberate their defeats.

The process is called Parliamentary ‘ping pong’ as the Bill goes back and forth between the Commons and the Lords.

While the Lords has certain limitations on how long they can object to the will of the elected Commons, the Government is desperate to get the Bill over the line before the Commons departs for their Summer Recess at the end of this week.

The Commons will likely have to return to the issue tomorrow morning and respond to whatever the Lords decided later this evening.

During the debate, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said: “It’s time for the clear view of the elected House to prevail.”

He called for the “will of the democratically elected” Commons to be upheld so the government can “get on with securing our borders and stopping the boats”.

MORE TO COME…

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