Commons & statute
Six laws. One opened the legal door (Human Rights Act). Three tried to close it. Labour’s 2025 Act repealed the deterrent. Only people in this ledger are listed — not every MP. Full rolls are in Hansard.
Commons 3rd reading, 21 Oct 1998 — 313 to 136
Incorporated the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law. Created a standing litigation route — Article 3 (inhuman treatment) and Article 8 (family life) — that has since blocked or delayed thousands of removals. Every later deportation scheme has had to navigate this Act.
Passed. Labour and Liberal Democrats for; Conservatives against.
In this ledger — voted yes
In this ledger — voted no
Commons 3rd reading, 9 June 1999
Rebuilt the asylum support system (NASS), expanded appeal rights, and set the architecture for dispersal. Combined with a collapse in removals capacity, asylum claims rose to a then-record 84,000 in 2002.
Passed under Jack Straw. Labour majority.
In this ledger — voted yes
In this ledger — voted no
None of the named files.
Commons 3rd reading, 8 Dec 2021 — 298 to 221
Differentiated refugees by how they arrived, criminalised illegal entry, and enabled removal to a safe third country. First statutory basis for the Rwanda partnership. Opposed in full by the then Labour front bench.
Passed. Conservatives for; Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, Greens, Plaid against.
In this ledger — voted yes
In this ledger — voted no
Commons 3rd reading, 26 Apr 2023 — 289 to 230
Duty to remove people who arrived illegally, ban on claiming asylum after irregular arrival, and a bar on UK courts delaying removal. Never fully commenced. Labour repealed the core of it in 2025.
Passed. Conservatives for; Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, Greens against.
In this ledger — voted yes
In this ledger — voted no
Commons 3rd reading, 17 Jan 2024 — 320 to 276
Declared Rwanda a safe country in law so that flights could start after the Supreme Court struck the scheme down. Royal Assent 25 April 2024. No deportation flights left. Repealed by Labour in 2025; the treaty was terminated on 16 March 2026.
Passed. Conservatives for (11 Tory rebels against, including Braverman and Jenrick, who said it was too weak); Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, Greens against.
In this ledger — voted yes
In this ledger — voted no
Royal Assent 2 December 2025
Created Border Security Command and new people-smuggling offences. Repealed the Safety of Rwanda Act and the uncommenced core of the Illegal Migration Act. Substituted a France returns deal that sent back about 1,100 people between Sep 2025 and June 2026 — roughly 4% of small-boat arrivals in that window.
Passed by the Starmer government. Labour and some others for; Conservatives voted against second reading, arguing it scrapped the only deterrent.
In this ledger — voted yes
In this ledger — voted no
None of the named files.