THE SQUARE Today 🌐 22 April 2024

Progress of the Rwanda Bill

The Commons has reviewed the Lords amendments. The bill then returns to the Lords tonight. The ensuing debate and votes in the Lords will mark the first opportunity for the bill to pass. However, it is anticipated that further rounds of ping pong will occur, necessitating a second set of votes in the Lords before midnight. The fate of the bill, whether it passes or undergoes additional rounds of ping pong, ultimately rests with the peers. The determination of Labour and crossbench peers is particularly crucial in this regard.

No.10’s forgotten papers

PM Rishi Sunak addressed the public from Downing Street today, providing some details about the next steps of his Rwanda plan. However, a momentary mishap occurred when sensitive operational details were inadvertently revealed in a briefing document. This incident came to light when journalist Steph Spyro of the Express discovered a bundle of briefing documents left unattended under the chairs of Cabinet-level ministers at the press conference. The documents, marked as “official sensitive” were subsequently retrieved by a No. 10 aide, but not before some journalists caught a glimpse of the initial content.