THE Government’s illegal migration bill will pass through Parliament because of public pressure to tackle the issue, according to former Conservative cabinet minister Peter Lilley.

He was commenting on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s opposition to the plans which he has spelled out in a speech in the House of Lords.

Mr Lilley told Gloria De Piero on GB News: “It will have a tough time – but it will get through because if the Lords were to stop the measures to stop the boat people that will be the end of the House of Lords then it would commit suicide.

“The public wouldn’t stand that.”

In a discussion with Gloria De Piero, also said he did not believe Sir Keir Starmer would make good on his promise to abolish the House of Lords.

He said: “It doesn’t matter what the reasons are. He won’t do it, because it’s been the plan ever since the legislation in 1912 to reform it.

“He won’t do it because the House of Commons won’t stand a rival chamber composed of elected people just like them, the second 11, basically, but with the claims to an electoral mandate, who would conflict with them?”

He added: “It would do away with something which they’re a good argument for. It works. No one would invent it, but it works as a revising chamber, it doesn’t work when it becomes a campaigning chamber, which it was during Brexit.

“But when it’s revising legislation when I was secretary of state, they revised my legislation. On almost every occasion, I accepted their revisions because they were usually sensible.”