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Tonight, in the Commons, Rishi Sunak will confront his most significant personal challenge as prime minister as he works to protect his key Rwanda policy.
A coalition of 60 conservative MPs, supported by Boris Johnson, posed a threat to the Prime Minister’s deportation legislation by endorsing amendments designed to strengthen it on Tuesday evening.
Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith resigned from their positions as deputy chairmen after aligning with the opposing group, while former immigration minister Robert Jenrick and several others expressed their willingness to challenge the government in the upcoming vote on Wednesday.
If approximately 30 of the rebels follow through with their threat, Mr. Sunak will experience a humiliating defeat, possibly leading to another Tory leadership contest or a general election in a matter of weeks.
Allies of Mr. Sunak argue that the possibility of an early election, which could lead to a strong victory for the Labour party, will convince the rebels to retreat, giving the Prime Minister and his weakened administration the chance to continue their fight.
It appears that No 10 is considering making new compromises to appease the conservative rebels, as indicated by Mr Sunak’s minister for illegal migration, Michael Tomlinson. He stated that ministers are exploring the possibility of adjusting the civil service code in order to reinforce the importance of adhering to ministerial decisions.
Tory rebels are expressing worries that the Rwanda law does not adequately prevent last-minute rule 39 injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
The Rwanda bill is approaching its deadline for Rishi Sunak.
I am anticipating that it will be up to government officials to make the final decisions, and once those decisions are made, our highly capable and productive civil servants will carry them out, as stated by Mr. Tomlinson on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Mr. Sunak has been cautioned by Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg that his decision on the Rwanda bill will be influenced by a promise that rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) can be disregarded. Sir Rees-Mogg asked the attorney general if a Rule 39 order could be overturned, stating that this is a crucial issue for the government.
However, a senior member of the Conservative party who opposes the party’s stance stated to The Independent that they were not overly satisfied with the promise to alter the code.
Although the bill grants ministers the authority to disregard injunctions pertaining to deportations to Rwanda, Mr. Tomlinson had previously cautioned the government that doing so would constitute a violation of international law, as reported by The Times.
Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis, who is contemplating rebellion, has stated that deportation flights to Rwanda need to depart on a regular basis or the public will perceive the plan as a mere “trick”.
Mr Gullis told LBC: “What we need to do is have it as a sustainable deterrent. That means having regular flights with lots of people on board, otherwise people will just see it as a gimmick, the voters will see it as a gimmick.”
He stated, “We will attempt a third piece of legislation within three years and if it is unsuccessful, it will be considered a third strike and you will be eliminated.”
The Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party stepped down yesterday following his support for rebel changes to the legislation.
Yesterday evening, 60 members of the Conservative Party supported changes to the government’s bill concerning Rwanda. Additionally, two deputy party chairmen, Mr Anderson and Mr Clarke Smith, resigned from their positions.
According to a trusted associate of Rishi Sunak, the majority of the Tory rebels will likely back down during the pivotal vote on Wednesday evening.
The Independent was informed by a prominent Conservative Member of Parliament that they believe their colleagues will back down and follow the party line when it comes to the third reading. They also questioned why anyone would vote against the bill, as it could potentially trigger a general election.
A different Conservative party member who is supportive of Mr. Sunak stated: “The majority of us understand that trying to overthrow the government by opposing one of its main policies on this matter would be a foolish political move.”
Robert Jenrick, the previous immigration minister, is among the dissenters advocating for alterations to Rishi Sunak’s legislation on Rwanda.
The party is in agreement with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s statement that they support the Rwanda deportation plan, despite some differences of opinion that have sparked lively discussions.
He stated that upon examining the events in the House of Commons, it is evident that the Conservative Party is the only one with a goal to effectively implement the Rwanda policy and promptly deport individuals who enter the country illegally, despite ongoing discussions on how to achieve this.
The chancellor stated that the Conservative Party is united in their determination to address this problem. However, there are active discussions within the party on how to implement the Rwanda policy.
A poll by YouGov earlier this week indicated that the Conservatives may experience a significant loss, similar to the one they faced in 1997, potentially giving Labour a majority of 385 seats.
Source: independent.co.uk
