Peers have rejected a move that would enable the UK government to send asylum seekers offshore.
The Bill seeks to curb English Channel crossings and change how asylum claims are processed.
The House of Lords voted 208 to 155 to strip out the contentious provisions from legislation allowing overseas processing centres to be set up, similar to those used by Australia. Rwanda, Ghana and Albania have been touted as potential destinations. The plan would see the UK pay another country to take on the responsibility but no country has so far agreed to do so.
It was among a series of defeats inflicted by the upper chamber on the flagship Nationality and Borders Bill, setting the stage for a protracted round of parliamentary ping-pong, in which legislation passes between the unelected chamber and the Commons.
The measure to offshore asylum seekers drew cross-party criticism in the upper chamber.
Tory peer Baroness Stroud questioned how the policy would work in practice.
“How are we going to apply an operation that would be at the best of times excruciatingly complex to execute on a potentially huge scale?” she asked.
“And, of course, there is the irony of people seeking safety only to find themselves in a position of renewed vulnerability, potentially held indefinitely in detention abroad.
She called the proposal “deeply concerning” and “unworkable".
“The powers it would grant to our government are on the one hand ill-defined but on the other hand far-reaching, potentially hugely expensive and yet ineffective, exposing vulnerable people to further trauma rather than offering protection,” she said.
The Bishop of Durham, the Rt Rev Paul Butler, highlighted the “deep harm that offshoring would have on everyone”, particularly children.
Former EastEnders actor Lord Cashman branded the policy “entirely unacceptable”.
The Labour peer, who previously served as an MEP, said: “It will place vulnerable people at risk.”
Former master of the rolls and ex-head of civil justice Lord Etherton, an independent cross-bencher, said: “The principle of offshoring while an asylum seeker is having their claim assessed is wrong in principle, oppressive in practice and lacking, critically, sufficient safeguards under the bill.”
Labour front-bencher Lord Rosser suspected having asylum seekers “out of sight and out of mind” was a main motivation of the government.
Home Office minister Baroness Williams of Trafford said in response: “The fact discussions are ongoing means I can’t give any particulars on how the process would work, and indeed the costings, would pan out.
“Much of these matters are for the negotiation table.”
She said the policy would only be operationalised in accordance with our international obligations.
“We are committed to ensuring overseas asylum processing is both humane and safe, taking into circumstances which may mean that overseas processing is not appropriate for particular individuals,” she continued.
“But for far too long, we have allowed people smugglers to decide where and how people cross borders and claim asylum.
“These uncontrolled and unsafe routes have led to terrible tragedies off our shores.
Baroness Williams outlined the government's main aim as destroying the “business model” of human traffickers by reducing the demand for their services by making it easier to remove those who undertake dangerous journeys or otherwise “abuse” the asylum system.
“We are working to provide a fair and functioning system which provides protection to those in need while preventing abuse at the same time,” she added.
Earlier, in another government defeat, peers backed a move that would ensure the UK could not deny asylum to refugees who passed through a “safe” third country until it had formal return agreements in place.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
EVIL%20DEAD%20RISE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELee%20Cronin%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlyssa%20Sutherland%2C%20Morgan%20Davies%2C%20Lily%20Sullivan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
