Amnesty UK Briefing for Lords Consideration of Commons Message

The House of Commons has largely rejected the amendments to the Government's immigration bill that were sent back by peers in disagreement with the Government. 

The Government did accept in part a few of the matters on which it was defeated in the Lords. Most significantly, it has secured existing constraints on detention of pregnant women and in significant part, though not fully, removed the retrospective application of the Bill to people who arrived to the UK at any time from 7 March 2023. It has not, as incorrectly reported, placed a time limit on the detention of children; but has reduced the time the Bill requires to pass before an application for bail may be made to an immigration judge from 28 to 8 days in the case of children.

Amnesty's briefing on this stage of proceedings emphasises the critical matters on which the Lords should insist on the position they had originally sent back to the House of Commons. These matters cannot save the Bill, but would introduce some degree of constraint on the extent to which this Bill violates constitutional principle and international law and to which it risks immense harm and injustice, particularly to people seeking asylum, at considerable cost to the taxpayer.