The Illegal Migration Bill is set to face further obstacles in Parliament as it returns to the Commons. After suffering numerous defeats in the House of Lords, new amendments have been introduced to address concerns regarding the welfare of detained children and pregnant women. However, MPs will have to vote on these changes, which have received support from the Lords.

In the midst of this, it has been revealed that the Home Office is funding thousands of empty hotel beds to accommodate migrants and prevent overcrowding at processing centres. To address some of the criticisms, the Home Office has put forward a series of concessions, such as limiting the detention of unaccompanied children to eight days instead of the initially proposed 28. Additionally, the bill will prevent the retrospective removal of individuals who have already entered the UK without permission. Pregnant women will still be subject to a maximum detention period of 72 hours, extendable to seven days with the authorization of a minister.

These amendments were prompted by the legislation’s overwhelming defeats in the House of Lords, where peers demanded revisions related to modern slavery protections and the provision of assistance to unaccompanied children seeking asylum. This has led to a potential standoff between peers and the government during the process known as parliamentary ping-pong, where legislation is debated between the two chambers.

While the government is expected to challenge many of the amendments, it has accepted some changes in an effort to facilitate the bill’s passage through Parliament. Notwithstanding these alterations, the government still faces challenges, as senior Conservatives, including Theresa May and Iain Duncan Smith, have expressed concerns that the legislation must go further in offering protections against modern slavery.

During a hearing, the Home Office revealed that it maintains a buffer of approximately 5,000 beds across the country in case of a sudden surge in Channel crossings, aiming to avoid overcrowding at processing centres like Manston in Kent. This announcement surprised MPs, who were unaware of the scale of these reserved beds.

The Illegal Migration Bill is a crucial component of Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats,” one of his five key leadership commitments. However, the bill has faced criticism for being morally unacceptable and unfeasible, particularly concerning the plan to relocate migrants to countries like Rwanda. The proposed plan is now expected to be challenged in the Supreme Court.

Despite the amendments introduced, there are still potential obstacles for the government. Rishi Sunak has emphasised his commitment to his pledge and remains confident in the fairness of the plan. Meanwhile, Home Secretary Suella Braverman believes the recent amendments will help expedite the legislation’s passage through Parliament.