Rishi Sunak hints he could overrule Lords on small boats bill
The Independent Rishi Sunak has suggested he is willing to overrule the House of Lords and ram the small boats bill through parliament amid opposition to his plans.
The prime minister hinted he was open to using the nuclear option of the Parliament Act to defy the upper chamber and push through the Illegal Migration Bill.
Mr Sunak said the plan detain and deport those arriving on small boats have been backed very strongly in the Commons, as he warned against any attempt to thwart the incredibly important legislation.
Asked twice if he was willing to use the Parliament Act, the PM told The Telegraph: It passed the House of Commons very strongly. And my intention is to see this piece of legislation on the statute books so that we can start using it.
On Monday peers called for the highly-controversial bill to be delayed until an impact assessment is published, while the Liberal Democrats have previously attempted to block the legislation.
A senior Tory source told The Independent the government would stand firm and refuse to water down the bill if it comes back to Commons with wrecking amendments.
