Ill also be joined by the state of the nations regular monday night regulars. We may not have jacob for here now, but we do have another rees mogg, former brexit party mep and journalist Annunziata Rees mogg, and the author and broadcaster amy nicholl turner. As ever, and most importantly , we want to most importantly, we want to hear from you this monday night. Its a crucial part of the programme. Email me mail mog at gbnews. Com. But now its time for the news of the day with my old pal polly middlehurst. Chris, thank you and good evening to you. Well, as chris was just saying, mps are due to vote tonight on ten changes to the rwanda bill amendments suggested by peers in the house of lords. Peers have been considering and debating the controversial legislation over the few weeks, and now its the last few weeks, and now its down to the commons. The legislation aiming to deter Illegal Migrants from coming to the uk small boats by the uk on small boats by deporting them to rwanda. Downing street says the initial cohort of people is now being contacted, the prime contacted, with the Prime Minister still determined to see the departing later the first plane departing later this spring. Its important that we get the rwanda scheme up and running because we need to have a deterrent, we need to make it clear if you come here clear that if you come here illegally, you wont to illegally, you wont be able to stay we will be able to stay and we will be able to remove that is only way remove you. That is the only way to properly solve the issue of illegal weve illegal migration. Now, weve made good progress. Boat numbers were last year, were down by a third last year, so shows that our plan is so that shows that our plan is working. In order to finish working. But in order to finish the need rwanda the job, we need the rwanda scheme are getting scheme through. We are getting it everyone it through parliament. Everyone is to block us, including is trying to block us, including the party, because they the labour party, because they dont plan to tackle this dont have a plan to tackle this problem. I determined problem. We do. I am determined to through, get the to see it through, get the deterrent and running as deterrent up and running as quickly possible. Quickly as possible. Well, the shadow home secretary, cooper, spoke well, the shadow home se gb ary, cooper, spoke well, the shadow home se gb news cooper, spoke well, the shadow home se gb news todayzooper, spoke well, the shadow home se gb news today in per, spoke well, the shadow home se gb news today in the spoke well, the shadow home se gb news today in the house of to gb news today in the house of commons lobby. She said the government needs get a grip government needs to get a grip on situation. On the situation. We need to strengthen our Border Security and fix the chaos asylum system chaos in the asylum system because under the conservatives weve really seen criminal gangs take hold along the channel and then this huge soaring backlog with asylum hotel use that is costing the taxpayer billions. So instead of all the gimmicks that weve had from rishi sunak and the conservatives our plan is to get a grip that starts with the new Cross Border Police to go after the criminal gangs , to go after the criminal gangs, to go after the criminal gangs, to smash the Gang Networks and prevent boats arriving on the french coast in the first place. Well, the Prime Minister was out and about in the West Midlands today, announcing plans to create 20,000 new apprenticeships, pledging £60 million worth of new investment to cover fully funded training for young people and a reduction in red tape for Small Businesses who take them on. Mr sunak says the full cost of apprenticeships will be offered to applicants aged under 21 at small firms from the 1st of april. Now the former environment minister, zac goldsmith, has been banned from driving for a year. Its after he was caught breaking the speed limit seven times, driving in london between april and november last year. The conservative peer was also caught speeding on two motorways, most recently in december in his hybrid electric car. December in his hybrid electric can he december in his hybrid electric car. He did plead guilty to all the offences and was fined 5500 pounds and ordered to pay a surcharge of a further £2,000, as well as costs. Surcharge of a further £2,000, as well as costs. Tata steel as well as costs. Tata steel will begin shutting down operations at its site in port talbot from wednesday, they say, due to stability concerns , the due to stability concerns, the steel group has said its been forced to make the closures earlier than previously planned because the equipment can no longer be run safely. Coke ovens are used to turn coal into coke, are used to turn coal into coke, a key raw material used in the process of making steel. Well. Tata has about 40 remaining coke ovens operational, with many having already been shut down since they started running in 1981. Thats the news for the very latest stories. Do sign up for gb news alerts. Scan the qr code on the screen right now or go to gb news. Com alerts. Go to gb news. Com alerts. Welcome back. Now there are under plan could be soon law as soon as thursday in fact. But rishi sunak still has to deal with his counterparts in kigali, who are insisting on a staggered start to migrant deportations. The government may have claimed that already theyve identified migrants for the first flight looking for the cohort now, but there are many things to consider here. The house of lords could vote down the plan on wednesday if it goes to the commons tonight , but this is commons tonight, but this is unlikely as they probably wont want to create a constitutional crisis, although sunak could eventually through eventually force it through parliament with the parliament act. Whatever the result of this parliamentary ping pong, the plan will not be quite ready for takeoff. The Rwandan Government takeoff. The Rwandan Government wants to pause the scheme for two months after the first flight, would wed flight, which would mean wed have one flight in may at the earliest. Thats the spring deadune earliest. Thats the spring deadline pm set, and deadline the pm has set, and then in july. Deadline the pm has set, and then in july. Now many then the next in july. Now many are looking at the numbers and asking if any of this is actually worth it. The total cost sending 300 migrants, cost of sending 300 migrants, thats 300 migrants is wait for it. £500 million, a considerable amount of money by anyones calculations. Even sir Jacob Rees Mogg, now labour mp neil coyle, claimed in the commons today that the Virgin Galactic business can send six people to space for the amount the government is planning to spend. One migrant to rwanda with spacex tickets on sale for between £150,000 and £350,000, and the National Audit office, which looks after public spending for parliament, estimating that the taxpayer could be forking out £2 million per migrant. That number does check out the labour attacking the cost, and they proposed their own ideas. I spoke to Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary earlier today she secretary earlier today and she said this conservatives, weve really seen criminal gangs take hold along the channel and then this huge soaring backlog with asylum hotel use that is costing the taxpayer billions. So yeah, we would use that money instead of putting it into the rwanda scheme to putting it into strengthening our Border Security. Instead, lets actually start to tackle some of the problem at source and go after those criminal gangs that are making a fortune from putting lives at risk and undermining our Border Security. Undermining our Border Security. Now, the costs may be literally astronomic, but the government maintains that the deterrence factor is worth it and will stop the boats by breaking the Business Model of these people traffickers. So where are we and where do we go from here, you ask . Well, dont worry, my guests are here to work it all out for you. Dont forget let me your forget to let me know your thoughts. Mailmogg gbnews. Com with me now is tory mp for south swindon, sir Robert Buckland, one of tonights possible rebels. Sir robert, welcome to the gb news. Have you started voting yet . Good evening chris. Yeah. The first vote has just happened. And waiting for the second division. There are going to be ten tonight, so mps are going to be here about half past be here till about half past ten, my estimation. Ten, by my estimation. Goodness , ive got all the goodness, ive got all the amendments in hands here. Amendments in my hands here. These ten changes that these are the ten changes that were made by peers this were made by peers to this rwanda bill. The first rwanda bill. Did the First Amendment, was it thrown amendment, was it was it thrown out house of commons . I. Out by the house of commons . I. Dont know. Havent had dont know. We havent had the yet. I think that the result yet. I think that amendment adds little and it just creates more legal debate, frankly. What we need frankly. And thats what we need to reduce in this bill. We need to reduce in this bill. We need to make sure that we do not have more wrangling in the courts and make sure that rwanda says what it has agreed to do in its treaty, that its signed a few months ago. Thats really what we should be aiming for now, getting that operation going. So those can take those planes can take off. Thats right. First thats right. That First Amendment maintaining amendment is about maintaining full compliance domestic amendment is about maintaining full International Domestic amendment is about maintaining full international law,iomestic amendment is about maintaining full international law, which ic and international law, which should be a baseline for any law youd imagine youve been tipped off as one of the rebels in quotes. Sir robert, which of these different measures will you be voting against the government on . Well, look, i think there are measures in here to make sure that people who come here through the afghan scheme, those people who supported our country in the west in the fight against extremism by being interpreters and other helpers who , you know, and other helpers who, you know, are in danger for their lives. I think if we see a few more of them coming over from afghanistan, we shouldnt be sending to rwanda. I also sending them to rwanda. I also think to careful think that we need to be careful not across the modern day not to cut across the modern day slavery laws that we led the world in passing , that thats a world in passing, that thats a vital part of our the way in which we deal with exploitation in plain sight. Thats happening across our country. I also think that we should make sure that the reality catches up with the law, and thats why i want ministers to focus on helping and making sure rwanda does what it says its going to do, so that we dont have to have more merry go round in the Supreme Court and a question of having to satisfy a court, whether or not the processes indeed not the processes are indeed safe. Need to avoid that. And safe. We need to avoid that. And we need to get the law as, clear as possible. In my view, sir robert , that by my count, thats robert, that by my count, thats three of the ten. Measures and laws. Your rebellion tonight, is that right . 7 yeah, 7 yeah, its 7 yeah, its about that. I yeah, its about that. I mean, the government will indeed carry these measures tonight. Carry these measures tonight. The question now is what the lords do on wednesday. I think lords do on wednesday. I think that even if there are further ping that even if there are further ping pongs , as we call it, the ping pongs, as we call it, the government should get this bill through before easter , which is through before easter, which is crucial for their timing, in order to make progress on getting the operations going here, to deal with this, what is an innovative, groundbreaking , an innovative, groundbreaking, approach . Which other countries in europe and the rest of the world are looking at very carefully . Carefully . Do you worry, though, that youre helping out labour here by trying to amend the law, the law past, by back to you, law of the past, by back to you, but its more to support the measures put in by peers. Youre undermining your colleagues in parliament. Why are you supporting unelected peers . Supporting unelected peers . No, chris, youre breaking up a bit, but i get the gist of it. Im not supporting the labour party. I mean, i tell you this about the labour party. They about the labour party. They keep a game about keep on talking a game about immigration. Theyre keep on talking a game about immigrathe. Theyre keep on talking a game about immigra the fact theyre keep on talking a game about immigra the fact the eyre denying the fact that the government progress on government is making progress on shutting down the hotels, reducing the number of small boats , dealing with the albanian boats, dealing with the albanian problem getting a more of problem and getting a more of a grip on this problem than ever before. I dont hear anything new from labour. I just hear the same old stuff reheated. They have no , sensible approach have no, sensible approach to this trying to say as this and are trying to say as little as possible. What im trying to do is make sure that this bill works. You know, keir starmer has said that he wouldnt support the rwanda scheme even if it worked. I mean, that, frankly, is an extreme point of view that we should rejecting. Want to should be rejecting. I want to make sure that this works and that we you know , insulated that we are, you know, insulated from challenges in from further challenges in court. And thats why im supporting some of these amendments. But not all of them. Okay. Well, sir Robert Buckland , in between votes, you buckland, in between votes, you join us tonight for a state of the nation. We really appreciate it. Thank you joining us from thank you for joining us from westminster joined westminster hall. Im joined now by glasgow by doctor omar hammoud, glasgow fellow in Political Science and pubuc fellow in Political Science and public policy. Doctor omar , will public policy. Doctor omar, will the rwanda plan work . No, it will not, i think its very clear, the Prime Minister has said so in the past, several ministers have said so. The pm thinks it will work similar. No, no, no, no, he said in the past hes been on the record saying when he was chancellor, this is a plan should be rubbished. A plan that should be rubbished. And we i with and absolutely we i agree with him. Its never him. Its a plan that its never going its absolutely going to work. Its absolutely costly. Said earlier, for costly. As you said earlier, for 300 individuals to be relocated to rwanda, that will cost more than half £1 billion. How is this even possible to be fair, to be fair to the pm, if he were here, hed be saying he was looking at the plans as chancellor on a value for money basis. Absolutely. Absolutely. There no value for money, there is no value for money, right. But point its right. But the point is, its meant break model the meant to break the model of the peoples people gangs. Absolutely. So as, as, as an expert works on this right. Expert who works on this right. Thats you me at the thats why you called me at the london of economics. London school of economics. I can you, having studied can tell you, having studied this policies, this phenomenon, these policies, for this works. For years, none of this works. Why is it that no one else does it . Because it doesnt work and its costly. Only its extremely costly. Only australia. Tried something similar and actually stopping it and theyve been, there have been several instances where International Bodies have said to australia the, the conditions under which , people were held under which, people were held were horrendous, and effectively australia had to stop in october 2021 what instead should be done is meaningfully decrease the backlog of asylum applications that are more than 100,000 of them are currently , were still them are currently, were still waiting for them to be, sort of processed , we should give asylum processed, we should give Asylum Seekers the right to work while they are here, because one of they are here, because one of the reasons why this is very costly is because we dont allow them to work while the process is pending, then they just pay into black economy. Into the black economy. They anyway. Cards but they do anyway. Id cards here, they do anyway, but they dont do it anyway, right . Even if you give right . I mean, even if you give them permission to do they them permission to do it, they will and work somewhere will just go and work somewhere else. Know, where exactly else. You know, where exactly they exploited by, they will be exploited by, different criminal groups. So effectively, people who effectively, the only people who benefit from from how things currently work. And it would be worse this policy is worse when this policy is implemented, are looking arent they processing they at offshore processing germany absolutely deal with absolutely germany absolutely deal with absolut thats because of the but thats because of the elections, right. We all know that the european elections scaring loads elections are scaring loads of politicians. And thats why, people in, you know, the centre, right, especially governments across the region , and also across the region, and also ursula von der leyen from the european commission, they are looking into this. Australia worked. Australia worked. Did not it did not. Let me it did not it did not. Let me tell you what happened. Instead, in following the in the 12 months following the introduction this policy of introduction of this policy of offshore meaning offshore processing, meaning that everyone who arrived to australia be sent to australia would then be sent to the islands to be the other islands to be processed. The numbers proce