Welby leads the Lords against Braverman’s boats bill

Today in parliament has been dominated by the Upper House, where peers are scrutinising the Illegal Migration Bill at its second reading. The debate is only halfway through but the legislation has been subject to something resembling a turkey shoot as noble lord after noble lord has queued up to attack the government’s proposals. The Archbishop of Canterbury made perhaps the day’s most memorable speech when he told his fellow peers that it was:

Morally unacceptable and politically impractical to let the poorest countries deal with it alone and cut our international aid. This is an attempt at a short-term fix. It risks great damage to the UK’s interests and reputation at home and abroad, let alone the interests of those in need of protection or the nations who together face this challenge.

Welby said the bill would not address climate change or international conflict at the base of migration. He also reminded the Lords of the warning by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee that, if passed without amendment, the new law could lead to the collapse of the international system for protecting refugees.