Illegal Migration Bill risks breaching human rights obligations, watchdog warns

Plans aimed astatine stopping radical crossing the Channel successful tiny boats hazard breaching the UK's quality rights obligations, a watchdog has warned.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the government's Illegal Migration Bill besides risked exposing radical to superior harm.

It said it was peculiarly disquieted astir the anticipation of children and large women being detained.

The authorities said the measure was "within our planetary obligations".

The legislation, which volition spot its remaining stages debated successful the Commons connected Wednesday, would forestall anyone arriving successful the UK illegally from claiming asylum.

Instead they would beryllium detained and removed, either to Rwanda oregon different "safe country".

The powerfulness to detain and region individuals besides covers children and large women, though the location caput has said unaccompanied children would lone beryllium removed earlier they scope 18 nether constricted circumstances, specified arsenic for the purposes of household reunion.

The authorities says the plans are cardinal to achieving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's pledge to halt tiny vessel crossings - 1 of his 5 cardinal priorities.

However, they person faced disapproval from absorption parties and charities, who person argued the measure is unworkable and could breach planetary law.

The EHRC said it was "seriously concerned" the authorities risked "placing the UK successful breach of its planetary ineligible obligations to support quality rights".

It said the measure "undermines the halfway rule of the universality of quality rights" and risked breaching the planetary Refugee Convention, which the UK is signed up to, by restricting the close to asylum and penalising refugees.

The committee besides highlighted provisions removing protections for victims of trafficking and modern slavery arsenic "particularly worrying".

However, it welcomed the government's committedness to summation harmless routes for those seeking asylum to travel to the UK and recommended these were brought guardant alongside the bill.

The authorities promised to acceptable retired details of harmless and ineligible routes and immoderate proposals for caller routes successful an amendment to the bill, pursuing calls from immoderate Conservative MPs including Tim Loughton.

Senior Tories including erstwhile Prime Minister Theresa May person raised concerns victims of modern slavery would beryllium denied assistance nether the bill, portion others are disquieted astir provisions allowing children to beryllium detained.

But the authorities has besides been nether unit from Tory MPs connected the close of the enactment to toughen up the measure and marque it easier for the location caput to disregard attempts by European judges to halt deportations of migrants from the UK.

A authorities amendment to the measure published connected Monday states that interim injunctions by the European Court of Human Rights bash not impact the work to region individuals who get successful the UK illegally.

However, immoderate amendments person to beryllium approved by MPs and peers, immoderate of whom person already raised concerns the connection could breach planetary law.

The measure is expected to look important absorption successful the House of Lords and ineligible situation if it becomes law.

Asked astir disapproval of the bill, the premier minister's authoritative spokesperson said: "We cannot let a strategy to proceed which incentivises radical to hazard their lives and wage radical smugglers to travel present illegally."