Rishi Sunak gets a respite after UK lawmakers vote in favor of the Rwanda migration bill

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — British lawmakers have voted in favor of the government’s plan to send some asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda. The vote keeps alive a policy that has angered human rights groups and cost the U.K. at least $300 million without a single flight getting off the ground. The House of Commons voted 313 to 269 on Tuesday to approve the government’s Rwanda bill in principle. That sends it on for further scrutiny. It came after the government scrambled to win over hard-line Conservative lawmakers who believe the legislation is not tough enough. The result is a reprieve for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. But Conservative hard-liners say they’ll try to toughen up the bill later in the legislative process.