Protesters urge Lords to vote down Nationality and Borders Bill as it returns to parliament
Protesters urge Lords to vote down Nationality and Borders Bill as it returns to parliament
A protest against the government’s controversial Nationality and Borders Bill has taken place outside parliament today ahead of its return to the House of Lords.
Protesters gathered at Parliament Square at 1pm before marching to the Lords, where the bill’s second reading was due to start.
The Borders Bill is close to the end of its legislative journey, having already been passed by MPs in the House of Commons.
The protest was initiated by Media Diversified, and included groups such as CAGE, BID Detention, and Sikh Council UK.
A host of speakers addressed the crowd, each voicing concerns over the impact of the bill.
Windrush activist Patrick Vernon told The Big Issue he hoped members of the Lords would vote against it.
“Any nation state has the absolute right to remove someone from their country. This country has this power already. So why are we wasting parliamentary time with this racist bill? We should be tackling child poverty, climate change, domestic violence, sorting the pandemic,” he said.
“Instead we are wasting time and energy just to pander to people who believe that Britain still rules the waves. People need to get real. Without the labour of black and minority ethnic people in Britain there’d be no Great Britain. You need us, and we need you.”