i morning briefing: The Rwanda Bill passes – what happens now?

Welcome to Tuesday’s Early Edition from i. Just after midnight, eight hours of painful parliamentary wrestling – and many months of it beforehand – finally came to an end[1]. Despite the prolonged ping ponging between the Government and Lords, only one “concession” on the controversial Rwanda scheme was made, on Afghan interpreters being exempt.

Peers backed down from pushing a second, which would have meant the Government could not declare Rwanda to be a safe country without the advice of an independent monitoring body. “The purpose of ping-pong is to persuade the Government through force of argument to come to the table and agree a compromise. They have refused pointedly to do so,” Lord Anderson said as the bill entered its final debate, at 11.45pm. “The time has come to accept the primacy of the elected house and withdraw from the fray,” he conceded. The agony of parliamentary wrestling may be over, but what happens now?

We’ll take a look, after the headlines.

Today’s news, and why it matters

Women angry over major changes to the state pension age have warned Britain’s politicians that they are ready to make compensation one of the single biggest issues at the general election. So-called Waspi women could decide who wins many of the country’s most marginal contests at the election expected in autumn, regional organisers told i.[2] Disability benefits claimants say they have been made “the villains” and left with “more questions than answers” by the benefits shake-up announced by Rishi Sunak last week.[3] Campaign groups labelled the plans proposed “a sign of political desperation” that served only to make the disabled community feel “attacked, stigmatised and scapegoated.”

The outcome of an investigation into Huw Edwards’s behaviour at the BBC is unlikely to be revealed after the presenter resigned from the corporation on “medical advice”. Insiders have expressed relief that the saga over the presenter,[4] whose expected departure was first revealed by i last November, is finally over, allowing the broadcaster to formally move ahead with appointing new presenters for its election-night show and News at Ten. Morale within the Metropolitan Police is at “rock bottom” as pressure mounts on Britain’s largest force over its handling of pro-Palestinian protests, insiders have warned.[5] Sadiq Khan: ‘The police are more emotionally intelligent now’.

Amid a new row over a protest, the Mayor says the London police force is getting better, and tells i about his 10-point plan to make the capital safer for women[6]. The safety credentials of smart motorways are being questioned again as new data show smart motorways have gone without power hundreds of times, potentially threatening driver safety. So how safe are they? Here are the claims, fact-checked.[7]

For the first time in five months, Nasa has received decipherable data from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft in the cosmos, after fixing a communication problem.[8] The space probe is currently about 24 billion kms away from Earth, and at 46 years old, it has recently shown multiple signs of aging.

What happens under the Rwanda asylum plan now?

Royal assent and ratification: To become law, the Bill must gain royal assent, which could happen early this week. The treaty with Rwanda – which was signed last year – must also be ratified. That treaty includes assurances from Rwanda that it will not return asylum seekers to a country where they may face persecution.

A Lords committee previously argued that the treaty should not be ratified until a number of measures had been implemented, including a new asylum law in Rwanda and training for international judges. Last night Home Office minister Michael Tomlinson said: “We will only ratify the treaty when all necessary implementation is in place. The implementation will be kept under review by the independent monitoring committee.”[9][10]

Detentions: Reports suggest the first detention of migrants could start in just days. Space to hold migrants in detention has been increased to 2,200 while 200 caseworkers are ready to quickly process claims. Migrants who have been earmarked for detention will receive letters in the coming days.

They will remain at the centres as long as there is a “reasonable prospect” that they will be removed, the Times[11] reports. However officials may find themselves powerless if migrants have absconded. The Telegraph reports that leaked documents suggest there is “limited capability” to locate migrants once they have left Home Office accommodation.

It said documents from last year show that only 700 of the original 5,000 people are still in “regular contact” with the Home Office.[12] Legal challenges: Officials are said to have identified 150 people who are considered “legally watertight” for deportation, but the Government is braced for legal challenges, which could begin as soon as next week. A Tory MP who was part of the previous Rwanda Bill rebellion told i: “The sooner it happens, the better.

If attempts are going to be made to frustrate the objectives of the legislation, we need to know as soon as possible.” Read that story here. Earlier this year, the UN’s refugee agency said the bill “proposes an asylum model that undermines global solidarity and the established international refugee protection system. It is not compatible with international refugee law.” Human rights groups said late on Monday that the legislation poses “a significant threat to the rule of law” and described Parliament as a “crime scene”.[13][14]

Flights: Yesterday Rishi Sunak said it would take 10-12 weeks before the first deportation flight takes off and after that there will be a “regular rhythm” of “multiple flights a month through the summer and beyond”. But he refused to say how many people he expected to be deported to Rwanda when asked by i. A source close to Border Force suggested it would be possible to send 2,000 asylum seekers to Rwanda in the first six months if there are weekly flights.

Meeting that number would involve using nearly the full capacity of a 300-seater aircraft to pack in 75 migrants who would each have two to three escorts each.[15] Will it work as a deterrent? After it was passed, Home Secretary James Cleverly said it was a “landmark moment in our plan to stop the boats.

I promised to do what was necessary to clear the path for the first flight. That’s what we have done. Now we’re working day in and day out to get flights off the ground.” But as Arj Singh writes: “No one, including the Home Office, really knows when the scheme will become a deterrent but given some 30,000 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats last year, but 2,000 in six months may be in the right ballpark.

Whatever the numbers sent to the east African nation, If Mr Sunak can prove a deterrent effect it will create a major headache for Labour, which continues to vow to scrap the scheme if it wins power come what may.” Read his full analysis here.[16]

Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda Bill passed after it was passed back and forth in a ‘ping pong’ between the Commons and the Lords (Photo: Toby Melville/PA Wire)

Around the world

Caught in the crossfire: What the Middle East thinks about Iran-Israel conflict. ‘Lebanon should be seated at the table – and not being served for lunch’, said a political analyst in Beirut.[17] Donald Trump “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt” the 2016 presidential election, a court has heard, as opening statements in his hush-money trial began in New York[18]. Jurors also heard briefly from the prosecution’s first witness: former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who prosecutors say participated in a “catch and kill” scheme to suppress unflattering stories about Mr Trump and help him get elected.

Thousands of holidaymakers flying to and from the UK have been hit by suspected Russian jamming of GPS signals, with aviation experts branding the cyber attack another front in Putin’s “Cold War” with the West[19]. An increasing number of planes from the UK to countries near the Russian border have reported the outages, leaving “scope for errors” for pilots having to navigate flights without GPS. Australia’s prime minister has labelled Elon Musk an “arrogant billionaire who thinks he is above the law” as the rift deepens between Australia and the tech platform X[20] over the removal of videos of a stabbing in a Sydney church.

Watch out for…

Michael Eavis, who is to be knighted by the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle today.

The Glastonbury Festival foundersaid: “Why did they choose me, I wonder? I’ve done quite a lot of stuff in my life and I’ve always been fairly sure that I was doing the right thing.”

Thoughts for the day

The Met has made mistakes – stopping Gideon Falter crossing the road is not one of them. All nuance has been lost, and instead it has turned the Met Police into villains, writes Simon Kelner.[21]

Inside No 10, Rishi Sunak faces a fight over the election date. Those in Team Sunak who fear MPs’ reaction to a local elections drubbing are calling for an early summer general election, says Mark Wallace.[22] Why can’t we just be happy for Sam and Aaron Taylor-Johnson?

They’ve been together for 14 years, points out Rebecca Reid.[23]

Sam Taylor-Johnson and Aaron Taylor-Johnson attend the 75th Locarno Film Festival in 2022 (Photo: Getty Images)

Culture Break

Antony Gormley changed how I think about art. ‘It is only the thoughts and feelings that arise in the viewer that give this work meaning,” the British artist says about Time Horizon. At Houghton Hall, Emily Bootle starts to understand what he means.[24]

Antony Gormley’s ‘Time Horizon’ at Houghton Hall (Photo: Pete Huggins)

The Big Read

Inside the red on red battle to be the first Mayor of the North East. Kim McGuinness wants to be Labour’s new ‘Queen of the North’. First she must beat Jamie Driscoll, ex Labour mayor for the North of Tyne.[25]

Labour’s Kim McGuinness is the bookies’ favourite to become the first Mayor of the North East where she is taking on former Labour mayor Jamie Driscoll (Photo: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

Sport

The surprising stat that shows Chelsea fans shouldn’t give up on Nicolas Jackson. Jackson has often been criticised by his own fans for missing chances but the club are happy with his first season and the numbers behind it, writes Sam Cunningham.[26]

Jackson is far from the finished product as a striker (Photo: Getty)

Something to brighten your day

I ate four aphrodisiacs over a week to improve my sex life – and three worked.

From oysters and Guinness to lamb’s testicles, chef Gizzi Erskine ate famous libido-boosters in medicinal quantities – what happened next?[27]

Gizzi Erskine tested four famous aphrodisiacs with her partner

References

1. ^ finally came to an end (inews.co.uk)
2. ^ regional organisers told i. (inews.co.uk)
3. ^ announced by Rishi Sunak last week. (inews.co.uk)
4. ^ Insiders have expressed relief that the saga over the presenter, (inews.co.uk)
5. ^ insiders have warned. (inews.co.uk)
6. ^ and tells i about his 10-point plan to make the capital safer for women (inews.co.uk)
7. ^ So how safe are they?

   Here are the claims, fact-checked. (inews.co.uk)

8. ^ after fixing a communication problem. (edition.cnn.com)
9. ^ treaty includes assurances (inews.co.uk)
10. ^ previously argued (committees.parliament.uk)
11. ^ Times (www.thetimes.co.uk)
12. ^ Telegraph (www.telegraph.co.uk)
13. ^ Read that story here (inews.co.uk)
14. ^ said the bill (www.unhcr.org)
15. ^ it would take 10-12 weeks before the first deportation flight takes off and (inews.co.uk)
16. ^ Read his full analysis here. (inews.co.uk)
17. ^ said a political analyst in Beirut. (inews.co.uk)
18. ^ as opening statements in his hush-money trial began in New York (inews.co.uk)
19. ^ with aviation experts branding the cyber attack another front in Putin’s “Cold War” with the West (inews.co.uk)
20. ^ as the rift deepens between Australia and the tech platform X (www.theguardian.com)
21. ^ writes Simon Kelner. (inews.co.uk)
22. ^ says Mark Wallace. (inews.co.uk)
23. ^ points out Rebecca Reid. (inews.co.uk)
24. ^ At Houghton Hall, Emily Bootle starts to understand what he means. (inews.co.uk)
25. ^ First she must beat Jamie Driscoll, ex Labour mayor for the North of Tyne. (inews.co.uk)
26. ^ writes Sam Cunningham. (inews.co.uk)
27. ^ what happened next? (inews.co.uk)