UK faces stand-off in parliament to overhaul illegal migrant plans

House of Lords is maintaining its opposition to reforms

The UK's plans for asylum reform have been rejected by the House of Lords. PA

The UK government is facing more opposition to efforts to overhaul its asylum and immigration system.

Stumbling blocks include a clause which would make it a criminal offence for migrants to arrive in the UK without permission, and a call for asylum seekers to be allowed to work if no decision has been taken on their claim after six months.

The House of Commons passed the nationality and borders bill, which will enable asylum seekers to be processed abroad, and it was sent to the House of Lords, the UK's unelected upper chamber.

However, peers again rejected the proposals and sent them back to the Commons for significant amendments.

The Lords supported measures to safeguard people who rescue migrants from the sea from prosecution by permitting a reasonable excuse defence.

They also took steps to prevent treatment of asylum seekers dependent upon how they entered the UK.

Peers renewed demands to enable unaccompanied child asylum seekers in Europe to join relatives in the UK.

During the debate, the Rt Rev Paul Butler, the Bishop of Durham, was deeply critical of a move allowing the offshoring of asylum seekers, similar to centres used by Australia.

“When people arrive on our shores seeking protection, we have a responsibility to treat them as we would wish to be treated if we indeed had to flee for our lives,” he said.

“If we move them to other countries for the process of their asylum claims, I very much fear a blind eye will be turned to their treatment.

“The inhumanity of this part of the bill is my primary concern. There are, however, significant practical and financial concerns.”

Labour front-bencher Richard Rosser raised concerns that the proposals will not be cost effective.

“Campaigners claim it will cost less to put asylum seekers in the Ritz [hotel] than run an offshoring policy,” he said.

“But experience elsewhere, and not least for Australia, suggests that the cost of such a scheme would be considerable per person, not cost effective.”

Home Office Minister Susan Williams said the aim was to combat people smugglers.

“Asylum processing overseas is one part of a system-wide reform designed to break the business model of people smugglers and disincentivise unwanted behaviour,” she said.

Meanwhile, Conservative baroness Philippa Stroud pressed her call to allow asylum seekers to work if their claim was delayed.

“There is a danger that in our current system we are penalising these people by not allowing them to work and putting significant stumbling blocks in the way of their integration unnecessarily,” she said.

Refugee campaigner and Labour lord Alf Dubs, who left Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia as a child on the Kindertransport scheme in the late 1930s, renewed his demand for unaccompanied child asylum seekers in Europe to be allowed to join relatives in the UK.

“I believe that this would lessen the dangerous journeys that young people make to join their families. It might eliminate them altogether,” he said.

“If we believe that traffickers should not have opportunities, then providing a safe and legal route is surely the right thing to do.

“Family reunion is surely fundamental to what a civilised society should support.”

The defeat happened as rumours circulated that the UK is to announce plans to outsource the processing of asylum seekers to Rwanda, according to The Times.

It is understood Prime Minister Boris Johnson was prevented from announcing a trial of the plans last week on concerns from officials that the proposals are not ready.

“He wanted to go ahead with it but it’s just not ready,” a government source told The Times.

“It’s close, but there are still a lot of things in the balance.”

This year, 4,550 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats.