Illegal Migration Bill survives mammoth voting session

Tory whips and publicans are the only people smiling in parliament tonight, after a mammoth three and a half hour voting session on amendments to the Illegal Migration Bill. The House of Commons bars are now rammed with MPs, who spent the afternoon debating and voting on changes to the government’s plans to ‘stop the boats.’

Divisions began just after ten to five and wrapped up shortly after 8:30 p.m. All the amendments put down by the House of Lords were defeated by the government across 18 divisions, with Steve Baker quoting one MP as saying in the voting lobby that they had ‘enjoyed the first 16’. It is, by some stretch, the most number of back to back votes cast in this parliament.

Ministers expected to win in the Commons tonight, given their working majority of 60 and yesterday’s concessions by the Home Office. These include protections for children, pregnant women and stopping the removal provision applying retroactively from when the Bill was introduced, rather than when it becomes law.