Lord Clark's intervention came after the Lords crushed the Small Boat Bill, causing 20 defeats against the government's plans. Photo: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
Deporting migrants to Rwanda is the only way to stop small boats from illegally crossing the English Channel, Lord Clark, the former Home Secretary, warned critics ahead of a vote that will decide the future of politics.
Lord Clark, a self-proclaimed rebel representing the liberal wing of the Tory party, insisted that there was no alternative to Rwanda's “emergency” scheme advocated by Home Secretary Swella Braverman to “stop the boats.”
His intervention came after the Lords criticized the Small Boats Bill, inflicting 20 defeats on the government's plans to detain and deport anyone illegally arriving in a safe third country like Rwanda or their home country.
< p>On Tuesday, ministers will try to push through the bill by repealing 15 amendments voted by colleagues and offering concessions on five others, concerning the detention of pregnant women and unaccompanied children, victims of human trafficking and the timing of the introduction of certain articles. /p>
Writing for The Telegraph, Lord Clarke said he was intervening not out of “slavish loyalty” to his party leadership, but because he believed the only solution to the soaring Channel crossings was “simply to stop accepting illegal immigration.” and deport [migrants] to safety.”
Reports of illegal arrivals
“People may object to Rwanda's scheme, they may point to legal difficulties with it, but they don't have a plan of their own. So the choice is between inaction and Rwanda,” he said.
“It is important that in all the debates about the government bill on illegal migration, no one has proposed an alternative. I have listened carefully for ideas on how else we could solve the growing problem of illegal migration, but have not come up with an answer.
“We really need a solution to this problem, and the only thing that is being offered is an extraordinary solution proposed by the government: we simply stop accepting illegal immigration and deport to safe places.”
Do you support a migrant from Rwanda? plan? Poll
Without tough action, Lord Clarke warned Britain could be seen as “an easier country than others”, encouraging migrants to risk their lives in small boats. More than 1,000 people crossed the English Channel on Friday and Saturday, bringing the provisional total for the year to over 12,500.
Deportation flights have been suspended pending the government's appeal to the Supreme Court against the Court of Appeal. ruling that Rwanda's policy is unlawful.
Three appellate judges, by a two-to-one majority, concluded that there was a risk that asylum seekers sent to Rwanda could be erroneously returned to their countries in violation of their human rights.< /p>
Ministers are expected to offer concessions setting statutory limits of up to eight days for detention of unaccompanied children, 72 hours for pregnant women and 28 days for young migrants if their age is disputed .
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