Henry Smith MP has questioned the Home Secretary in Parliament over the need for a new British Bill of Rights (on Wednesday, 15th June), following the first flight due to take people who have entered the UK illegally to Rwanda being cancelled as a result of an intervention from the European Court of Human Rights.

Commenting after speaking in Parliament, Henry said;

“Our Parliament has been clear in passing laws to see that people who have entered this country illegally are removed from it.

“I’m urging the Government to work at speed to ensure the House of Commons can consider a renewed British Bill of Rights.

“While the UK is and always will be an incredibly generous country, there is no compassion in a system which sees people with the means to pay people smugglers getting ahead of genuine refugees.”

Speaking in the House of Commons, Henry Smith MP asked Home Secretary;

“This country’s record on human rights is world-leading and this Parliament has passed resolutions in law that say that we must remove people who have entered this country illegally. That has been upheld, as the Home Secretary has said, by our domestic courts, so it is deeply troubling that a supranational court seeks to delay the process. What discussions has she had with the Deputy Prime Minister about a renewed British Bill of Rights?”

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, responded;

“My hon. Friend has consistently made some excellent points about the removals policy. It is worth reminding the House that Acts of Parliament passed in 1999, 2002 and 2004 clearly enable the Government of the day to remove individuals with no basis to be in this country through removal flights, for example. By the way, those Acts were passed under a previous Labour Government, while Labour is now completely going against them.

“My hon. Friend asks a very important question about discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister on the forthcoming Bill of Rights. I can confirm that those discussions are active and that work is taking place—and rightly so. We will continue to deliver, as this whole Government have been doing, on our manifesto commitments, as that is where this stems from. It is right that we do that. As part of delivering for the British people and delivering on Brexit, we will change our laws so that our Government and our laws are sovereign.”