Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland MPs vote against British Government’s Rwanda bill as it passes to next stage

THE north’s MPs who take their seats in the House of Commons voted against the British government’s Rwanda bill on Tuesday, with the DUP warning the legislation could lead to Northern Ireland becoming a “magnet” for illegal immigrants.

All eight DUP MPs voted against the bill, which aims to strengthen Rishi Sunak’s plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Both SDLP MPs voted against it, along with Alliance MP for North Down, Stephen Farry. Sinn Féin’s seven MPs are abstentionist.

East Antrim DUP MP Sammy Wilson said ministers had failed to consider the impact of the EU’s charter of fundamental rights, which still applies in the north following Brexit, and the fact the European Convention on Human Rights is “embedded in the Good Friday Agreement”.

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“It is going to make Northern Ireland a magnet for people who may find that the route to stay in the United Kingdom is blocked,” he said of the government’s plan during Tuesday’s debate.

He asked if an increase in asylum seekers travelling to Britain from the north could lead to “people barriers” alongside trade barriers resulting from the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Home Secretary James Cleverly replied that as the bill progresses through Westminster, there would be an opportunity to “raise concerns about specific details” of the legislation.