Lib Dems force vote tonight to kill Illegal Migration Bill

Today [10 May], the Liberal Democrats will force a vote on their motion to kill the Illegal Migration Bill. This rarely used procedure at Second Reading in the House of Lords demonstrates the strength of the Party’s opposition to the Bill.

The motion, tabled by Lord Paddick, highlights the need to follow international law, the lack of measures to eliminate the asylum backlog and the failure to include safe and legal routes for refugees.

The vote is expected to happen before 10:30pm this evening. If the motion passes, the Illegal Migration Bill cannot continue its passage through Parliament during this session. 

After his speech to the House of Lords Chamber this morning, Lord Paddick said: 

“Our motion tonight is further proof that Liberal Democrats will oppose this awful legislation at every turn.

“We all want to combat people smuggling and prevent people from making dangerous attempts to cross the Channel, but this legislation is expensive, immoral and totally unworkable.

“Nothing in this legislation will address what has actually caused our asylum system to become overwhelmed - which is Conservative chaos and dysfunction in the Home Office.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Text of the motion:

Lord Paddick to move, that

“This House declines to give a Second Reading to the Illegal Migration Bill because it 1) undermines the rule of law by failing to meet the UK’s international law commitments and by allowing Ministers to ignore the directions of judges; 2) undermines the UK’s tradition of providing sanctuary to refugees by removing the ability of refugees to exercise their legal right to claim asylum, by removing protections afforded to modern slavery victims and by increasing the number of people in indefinite detention, including children; 3) fails to provide safe and legal routes for refugees; 4) fails to include measures to eliminate the backlog of asylum cases and 5) fails to include measures to tackle people smuggling gangs”