What can peers do on Rwanda?

How worried should the government be about today's vote in the House of Lords?

The House of Lords will be asked this afternoon to delay the Rwanda project on which Rishi Sunak has staked his political reputation. But the legislation recently passed by MPs doesn’t reach the upper chamber until next week. Why, then, are peers discussing the government’s plans today? And how large a spanner could they throw into the works?

Today’s debate is one that the government never wanted to have. That’s why the original deal with Rwanda, signed by Priti Patel on 13 April 2022, was no more than a memorandum of understanding. But once the Supreme Court had declared the government’s policy unlawful, ministers felt that a binding treaty was their only chance of stopping the flow of migrants across the channel.

James Cleverly with Dr Vincent Biruta, foreign minister of Rwanda

So the Rwanda treaty was signed on 5 December last year and, as I explained at the time, today’s showdown became inevitable.