Government Insists They Will "Not Be Deterred" In Passing Controversial Borders Bill
2 min read
Downing Street has insisted the government will "not be deterred" in passing the Home Office's controversial Nationality and Borders Bill, which is due to be voted on in the Commons this afternoon.
A group of Tory MPs have threatened to rebel on an amendment tabled in the House of Lords, which could force the government to abandon plans to process asylum seekers potentially thousands of miles from the UK.
“The votes in the Lords were disappointing,” the prime minister's official spokesperson said on Tuesday.
“We will not be deterred from delivering our plans to fix the system.”
Peers attempted to strip out key parts of the controversial legislation, including plans to deprive people of British citizenship and bringing in offshore detention, during its initial passage through the upper chamber. Patel has repeatedly signalled she wants to go ahead with processing asylum seekers offshore.
Dozens of Conservatives have also signed a letter urging that the amount of time asylum seekers have to wait before they can work in the UK should be cut in half.
Number 10 today insisted asylum seekers waiting for their claims to be processed “are already allowed to work in the UK”, although this is only the case if their claim is still outstanding “through no fault of their own” 12 months after it was initially lodged.
The government has argued that reducing the amount of time before an asylum seeker has the right to work in the UK would have the effect of "incentivising unfounded asylum claims".
"It's important things distinguish between those who need protection and those seeking to work here,” the Downing Street spokesperson added.
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