Conservative MP Katie Lam has criticised her own party for now supporting border measures they previously rejected when in government.
Tory MPs will propose amendments to a new immigration bill that would remove the application of the Human Rights Act from immigration matters - measures they had dismissed as unnecessary just over a year ago when suggested by their own backbenchers.
Lam hit back at Miriam Cates who questioned why the party was now labelling as "essential" the same border control measures they had previously opposed during debates on the Rwanda bill.
Miriam Cates said: "There are some incredibly sensible suggestions in here, applying the Human Rights Act to all immigration-related matters, which would stop these endless and spurious human rights claims. That’s exactly what’s needed, so it’s very good to see.
Katie Lam blasted the Conservatives
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"But, you know, just over a year ago, a number of us proposed amendments to the Rwanda bill that would have done exactly this.
"They were dismissed by the Conservative government — including many members of the current shadow cabinet — and we were told there was absolutely no need for them, and no way they would get through.
"So why are the Conservatives now saying that the very measures we proposed are suddenly essential?"
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Lam responded: "Well, it's a terrible shame that those measures weren't passed before, but we are under new leadership now.
"I wasn’t a Member of Parliament then, I am now, and we're bringing forward everything we can think of to solve this problem and secure the border.
"One of the key issues is that all individuals who arrive in this country illegally would be automatically deported. But deported to where?
"That’s exactly why the last government introduced the Rwanda plan.
"You mentioned the Prime Minister's suggestion about return hubs in Eastern Europe but the problem with those is that they would only come into play at the end of the asylum process, after all appeals have been exhausted.
"What the last government proposed was simple: if you come here illegally, you go to Rwanda. That’s the end of the story.
"If it’s safe for you to go home, then you go home. If you can’t go home, or you refuse to tell us where your home is, then you go to Rwanda.
"And to this day, that remains the only logical solution I’ve heard to the serious problem we’re facing with people pouring across the Channel."
Ministers are working on plans to send migrants to 'return hubs' overseas as a last resort PAThis comes as Prime Minister Keir Starmer has unveiled plans for "return hubs" abroad for failed asylum seekers after scrapping the Rwanda scheme.
Starmer explained: "These would be used when someone has been through the system in the UK and needs to be returned.
"We have to make sure those returns are carried out effectively, and we'll do that, if possible, through return hubs."
The pressure on Starmer to address illegal immigration has intensified following recent data showing more than 12,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats since the start of 2025.
The issue has gained particular urgency since the local elections, where Reform UK emerged as the most popular party.
