00:00 It's been over four months since the government introduced the Rwanda Bill to the House of
00:05 Commons. More than two years have passed since the policy designed to deter migrants from
00:09 crossing the Channel in small boats was announced, but flights are still yet to take off. Today
00:16 could mark a significant moment as the legislation approaches its final passage. Rishi Sunak
00:22 is certainly optimistic about it. On Friday, he said that Parliament would sit there and
00:27 vote until it's done. So the Bill will continue to ping pong between
00:43 the House of Commons and the House of Lords until it gains approval.
00:52 Back and forth. The Bill cleared the House of Commons in January,
01:01 despite objections from some Conservative MPs who wanted it beefed up. Peers have tried
01:07 to amend the legislation multiple times, but MPs have consistently overturned those changes.
01:14 Given the government's majority, the Bill was expected to pass through its final stages
01:18 on Wednesday, but another vote is now anticipated today. If it does pass, charities supporting
01:26 asylum seekers have indicated their intention to launch legal challenges as quickly as possible.
01:33 Labour acknowledges that eventually the amendments will be rejected, however it may take several
01:38 attempts. Well it looks to me that the Bill will pass
01:41 because the government have got the numbers to make this happen, but we don't believe
01:45 that it's the right approach. The Rwanda scheme is an undeliverable gimmick. It's going to
01:50 cost over half a billion pounds and only covers 300 people, so it's a very, very small number
01:55 of people that we're talking about. If the Bill continues to move between the
01:59 Houses multiple times, it could lead to a late night in Westminster.
02:04 Today during a Downing Street press conference, Rishi Sunak attributed the delays to Labour
02:09 opposition. For almost two years, our opponents have used
02:13 every trick in the book to block flights and keep the boats coming. But enough is enough.
02:19 No more prevarication, no more delay. Parliament will sit there tonight and vote no matter
02:25 how late it goes. No ifs, no buts, these flights are going to Rwanda.
02:32 Labour though insisted that Rishi Sunak could have passed the Rwanda Bill through Parliament
02:36 much sooner, saying that the government are looking for someone else to blame.
02:41 The government has an overall majority in Parliament and could have passed this Bill
02:45 a month ago if they'd scheduled it then. But as we know, Rishi Sunak always looks for someone
02:49 else to blame. This is an extortionate scheme. They should be putting that money into boosting
02:55 our border security instead. Sunak hopes that the first flights carrying
03:00 asylum seekers to Rwanda will depart in 10 to 12 weeks. Initially promising flights to
03:06 Rwanda in spring, Sunak's revised timetable suggests the first plane will depart in July.
03:12 The Prime Minister stressed that "enough is enough" and indicated willingness for MPs
03:17 and peers to sit through the night if necessary to pass the Bill.
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