Rishi Sunak suffers string of further defeats in Lords over small boats bill

Archbishop of Canterbury among peers behind amendments to illegal migration legislation as standoff with government continues

A standoff over the Conservative government’s controversial plans to tackle the small boats crisis has continued at Westminster as the Lords overnight inflicted a string of defeats backed by the archbishop of Canterbury.

Justin Welby warned against immigration and asylum being used as a “wedge issue to divide things” as peers pressed their demand for further changes to the illegal migration bill.