As we go to press, the Tories are ramming their Immigration Bill through both its Report and Third Reading session in Parliament on 30 June.
The Bill will go to the House of Lords, and then come back to Parliament. The Tories want to rush it because they want to rush Brexit — despite the pandemic meaning that the Brexit negotiations are like trying to draft a big legal document while riding a bike along a potholed road during an earthquake.
As it stands, the Bill is essentially a blank cheque to the Tories to write whatever immigration rules they want to replace EU free movement.
MPs have submitted dozens of amendments to the Bill, only some of which may be called for debate. An amendment limiting the length of time asylum seekers can be held in detention centres, and another on EU “settled status”, look to have the best chances.
Hundreds of people have used the campaign tool developed by the Labour Campaign for Free Movement ( LCFM) to write to Keir Starmer calling for them to counterpose Labour’s conference policy as the clear alternative to the Bill.
LCFM particularly promoted amendments curtailing indefinite detention and ensuring that Brexit doesn’t stop child refugees stranded in Europe from joining their families here.
Amendments or not, LCFM will be continuing the battle to bring down borders and win free movement, and to press Labour to keep its commitments.
• Background info: here. LCFM proposals to Labour NPF: here and here
