London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Dec 13, 2025

Illegal Migration Bill passes as Tory rebellion defused

Illegal Migration Bill passes as Tory rebellion defused

Plans aimed at stopping people crossing the Channel in small boats have been approved by MPs, after the government defused a Tory backbench rebellion.

The Illegal Migration Bill cleared its final stages in the House of Commons by 289 votes to 230.

Around 20 Tory MPs wanted to require court approval to detain unaccompanied children longer than three days.

But they agreed not to push the issue to a vote, after ministers pledged to work with them on a "new timescale".

Ministers have yet to specify the limits in the bill itself.

The government has made a series of concessions to different sections of the Tory party, in order to head off rebellions during the bill's final stages in the Commons.

However, the bill is expected to run into opposition at its next stage in the House of Lords, where it could be heavily amended.

The bill, unveiled in March, is a key part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's plan to "stop" small boats crossing the English Channel.

It will place a legal duty on the home secretary to detain and remove those arriving in the UK illegally, to Rwanda or another "safe" third country, taking legal precedence over someone's right to claim asylum.

This has prompted outrage from opposition parties and charities, which argue the bill is unworkable and could breach international law.

There has also been concern, including among Tory MPs, over new powers in the bill to detain people - including children - on the suspicion that they are liable for removal.

A group of rebel Tory MPs, led by Tim Loughton, tabled an amendment to place new limits on the circumstances in which unaccompanied children could be held.

But as the bill neared its final Commons passage, he agreed to withdraw it "on trust" after Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick pledged he would listen to concerns.

The government introduced amendments of its own, enabling it to set a unspecified limit on child detention in the future, with Mr Jenrick promising to work with MPs on designing a new limit.

However, the commitment was dismissed as vague by the SNP's Alison Thewliss, who added: "We do not trust them to do the right thing here."

Mr Loughton said any changes brought forward by the government in the Lords must include a maximum detention time for children within the bill.


Modern slavery


The government faced strong criticism from former Prime Minister Theresa May and former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith over the potential impact of the bill on victims of modern slavery.

The bill would take away temporary protections against removal from the UK that are currently offered to suspected victims of modern slavery or human trafficking while their case is considered.

The two senior Tories had tabled an amendment, which would have exempted people who have suffered exploitation in the UK from being deported, but they did not force a vote on it.

Speaking in the Commons, Mrs May said the current version of the bill would mean "more people will stay enslaved and in exploitation", by giving traffickers "another weapon" to stop victims going to the police.

To get the bill through, ministers have also promised to consult on new safe and legal routes for migrants, after pressure on the issue from backbenchers.

Under a new amendment, it has committed to publishing a report on new routes within six months of the bill becoming law.

It has also addressed concerns from the Tory right with a separate amendment giving UK minsters more leeway to ignore European court rulings.

However, even with the government's concessions, the bill is still expected to face significant opposition when it proceeds to the Lords in the coming months.

Labour's shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said the bill was an "expensive and unworkable, headline-chasing gimmick".

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said it was "nothing more than half-baked legislation that is immoral, ineffective and incredibly costly for the taxpayer".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Declines to Comment After ICC Prosecutor Alleges Britain Threatened to Defund Court Over Israel Arrest Warrant
Apple Shutters All Retail Stores in the United Kingdom Under New National COVID-19 Lockdown
US–UK Technology Partnership Strains as Key Trade Disagreements Emerge
UK Police Confirm No Further Action Over Allegation That Andrew Asked Bodyguard to Investigate Virginia Giuffre
Giuffre Family Expresses Deep Disappointment as UK Police Decline New Inquiry Into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Claims
Transatlantic Trade Ambitions Hit a Snag as UK–US Deal Faces Emerging Challenges
Ex-ICC Prosecutor Alleges UK Threatened to Withdraw Funding Over Netanyahu Arrest Warrant Bid
UK Disciplinary Tribunal Clears Carter-Ruck Lawyer of Misconduct in OneCoin Case
‘Pink Ladies’ Emerge as Prominent Face of UK Anti-Immigration Protests
Nigel Farage Says Reform UK Has Become Britain’s Largest Party as Labour Membership Falls Sharply
Google DeepMind and UK Government Launch First Automated AI Lab to Accelerate Scientific Discovery
UK Economy Falters Ahead of Budget as Growth Contracts and Confidence Wanes
Australia Approves Increased Foreign Stake in Strategic Defence Shipbuilder
Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson proclaims, “For Ukraine, surrendering their land would be a nightmare.”
Microsoft Challenges £2.1 Billion UK Cloud Licensing Lawsuit at Competition Tribunal
Fake Doctor in Uttar Pradesh Accused of Killing Woman After Performing YouTube-Based Surgery
Hackers Are Hiding Malware in Open-Source Tools and IDE Extensions
Traveling to USA? Homeland Security moving toward requiring foreign travelers to share social media history
UK Officials Push Back at Trump Saying European Leaders ‘Talk Too Much’ About Ukraine
UK Warns of Escalating Cyber Assault Linked to Putin’s State-Backed Operations
UK Consumer Spending Falters in November as Households Hold Back Ahead of Budget
UK Orders Fresh Review of Prince Harry’s Security Status After Formal Request
U.S. Authorises Nvidia to Sell H200 AI Chips to China Under Security Controls
Trump in Direct Assault: European Leaders Are Weak, Immigration a Disaster. Russia Is Strong and Big — and Will Win
"App recommendation" or disguised advertisement? ChatGPT Premium users are furious
"The Great Filtering": Australia Blocks Hundreds of Thousands of Minors From Social Networks
Mark Zuckerberg Pulls Back From Metaverse After $70 Billion Loss as Meta Shifts Priorities to AI
Nvidia CEO Says U.S. Data-Center Builds Take Years while China ‘Builds a Hospital in a Weekend’
Indian Airports in Turmoil as IndiGo Cancels Over a Thousand Flights, Stranding Thousands
Hollywood Industry on Edge as Netflix Secures Near-$60 Bln Loan for Warner Bros Takeover
Drugs and Assassinations: The Connection Between the Italian Mafia and Football Ultras
Hollywood megadeal: Netflix acquires Warner Bros. Discovery for 83 billion dollars
The Disregard for a Europe ‘in Danger of Erasure,’ the Shift Toward Russia: Trump’s Strategic Policy Document
Two and a Half Weeks After the Major Outage: A Cloudflare Malfunction Brings Down Multiple Sites
UK data-regulator demands urgent clarity on racial bias in police facial-recognition systems
Labour Uses Biscuits to Explain UK Debt — MPs Lean Into Social Media to Reach New Audiences
German President Lays Wreath at Coventry as UK-Germany Reaffirm Unity Against Russia’s Threat
UK Inquiry Finds Putin ‘Morally Responsible’ for 2018 Novichok Death — London Imposes Broad Sanctions on GRU
India backs down on plan to mandate government “Sanchar Saathi” app on all smartphones
King Charles Welcomes German President Steinmeier to UK in First State Visit by Berlin in 27 Years
UK Plans Major Cutback to Jury Trials as Crown Court Backlog Nears 80,000
UK Government to Significantly Limit Jury Trials in England and Wales
U.S. and U.K. Seal Drug-Pricing Deal: Britain Agrees to Pay More, U.S. Lifts Tariffs
UK Postpones Decision Yet Again on China’s Proposed Mega-Embassy in London
Head of UK Budget Watchdog Resigns After Premature Leak of Reeves’ Budget Report
Car-sharing giant Zipcar to exit UK market by end of 2025
Reports of Widespread Drone Deployment Raise Privacy and Security Questions in the UK
UK Signals Security Concerns Over China While Pursuing Stronger Trade Links
Google warns of AI “irrationality” just as Gemini 3 launch rattles markets
Top Consultancies Freeze Starting Salaries as AI Threatens ‘Pyramid’ Model
×