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04
Feb 2024
A Conservative peer from Harrogate has criticised the government's Rwanda bill for creating a "legal fiction" that would "diminish our international reputation",
The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill aims to override international law by saying Rwanda is a safe country where illegal migrants can be sent to have their asylum and human rights claims assessed.
Local Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, who represents Harrogate and Knaresborough, and Julian Smith, who represents Skipton and Ripon, have both voted to support the Bill.
But Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate spoke out against it during a debate in the House of Lords on Monday.
He said:
The lawyer, who as Timothy Kirkhope served as an MP for Yorkshire and the Humber and an MEP for Leeds North East, added the bill "would place the UK in direct violation of its treaty obligations", adding:
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