Robert Jenrick resigns as immigration minister over Rwanda bill in huge blow to Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak’s premiership appears to be in the balance as the so-called “star chamber” of Tory lawyers concluded his emergency plans to rescue the ailing Rwanda asylum scheme are “not fit for purpose”.
The verdict, which will be closely watched by rebel MPs, sets the prime minister up for a potential defeat in a crucial Commons vote on Tuesday, in a struggle now reminiscent of Theresa May’s fight with a bitterly divided Conservative Party over Brexit.
The bill is a last-ditch bid to get planes in the air after the Supreme Court ruled the government’s previous plans illegal, however right-wing Tories are now urging No 10 to override the European Conventions on Human Rights, after the chair of the team of lawyers signalled the bill is not “sufficiently watertight”.
With the vote requiring a rebellion of only 28 Tories to fail, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is set to say the Conservatives cannot govern while they are “fighting like rats in a sack” in a speech on Tuesday.
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Sunak again questions ‘rather strange claim’ Rwanda could ‘collapse’ deal
Suella Braverman has sought to cast doubt on Rishi Sunak’s “rather strange claim” that if his emergency legislation had gone further the Rwandan government would have “collapsed” the deal.
“I’ve been to Rwanda several times and I have spoken to the Rwandan government a lot. It never once raised any kind of concerns like this,” Ms Braverman told The Telegraph,
It follows the extraordinary exchange on the Today programme earlier this week, in which Ms Braverman was repeatedly asked whether Mr Sunak was “lying” when he claimed the Rwandan government had threatened to pull out of the deal if Britain breached international treaties.
“I don’t know [whether he is lying],” she eventually said, before going on to deny spreading “poison” in the same interview.
The Rwandan goverment itself has said this week it could pull out of the deal if it breaks international law, and a Downing Street source said at the time: “Conservatives need to work within reality. What she wants isn’t available, the Rwandans have said no.”
Echoing recently departed immigration minister Robert Jenrick, she also warned on Sunday that the government’s past experience showed that the clause in Mr Sunak’s new Bill allowing legal challenges by individual migrants will add “a minimum of six months” to the wait for deportation flights to take off.
Andy Gregory10 December 2023 07:47
Full report: Fresh Rwanda blow for Sunak as Tory lawyers brand plans not fit for purpose
Rishi Sunak has been dealt the fresh blow of a legal assessment for the Tory right concluding his Rwanda legislation is not fit for purpose, as the Prime Minister urged Labour not to oppose his plans.
Sir Bill Cash, who has chaired a legal examination being waited on by many in the party, has signalled that the Bill is not “sufficiently watertight” despite Mr Sunak hoping it will revive his flagship asylum plan.
Battling to keep his own Tory MPs on side, the Prime Minister urged Sir Keir Starmer to “rise above political games” and “act in the national interest” by supporting the emergency Bill.
But Conservatives from both the right and the left of the party are considering whether to oppose it in a crunch vote on Tuesday, with neither camp totally satisfied by the offering.
Labour will whip to vote against the Bill, meaning a rebellion by just 28 Tories could deliver a humiliating defeat for the Government.
Andy Gregory10 December 2023 07:28
Sunak urges Tories to ‘unite or die’ over Rwanda scheme
Rishi Sunak has urged mutinous Tory MPs to “unite or die” ahead of a key Commons vote on his controversial bid to save his party’s ailing plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda.
The prime minister’s call to the 1922 Committee this week, after publishing his emergence Rwanda legislation, echoed his words in the first days of his premiership after taking over from Liz Truss, according to The Times.
There are claims that nearly two-dozen MPs have submitted no confidence letters, and in an olive branch to rebels, Mr Sunak is said to be “happy to have conversations” about his Rwanda plan’s future, providing the Bill – disliked by both Tory moderates and hardliners – passes through the Commons.
(AP)
Athena Stavrou10 December 2023 07:00
Sunak ‘did not think highly of Rwanda policy’ while chancellor
Rishi Sunak and his team at the Treasury did not think highly of the Rwanda policy when it initially crossed the then-chancellor’s desk in spring 2022, according to a report.
Mr Sunak and his colleagues privately raised concerns with Boris Johnson’s Downing Street and Cabinet ministers about whether the Rwanda scheme would work and would provide value for money, six people involved in the discussions told the outlet.
While chancellor, he is also claimed have pushed for more foreign graduates to be allowed to stay post-study, for migrant workers to be able to bring dependents, and for a lower salary threshold to enable more foreign workers, all in pursuit of economic growth, the six people reportedly said – running in stark contrast to the new policies outlined by his government this week.
Athena Stavrou10 December 2023 06:00
Braverman questions Sunak’s claim pushing bill further would have seen deal ‘collapse’
Sacked home secretary Suella Braverman has questioned Rishi Sunak’s “rather strange claim” that going further on the Rwanda bill would have caused the £290 million deal to “collapse”.
She told the Sunday Telegraph: “I’ve been to Rwanda several times and I have spoken to the Rwandan government a lot. It never once raised any kind of concerns like this.”
Mrs Braverman echoed Robert Jenrick, who quit as immigration minister over the legislation, by raising concerns that it leaves ignoring temporary Rule 39 injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights which blocked last year’s flight to the Government.
“I know that our Attorney General has advised that to ignore a Rule 39 injunction would be a breach of international law, so therefore as it stands Rule 39s will block flights,” Mrs Braverman told the newspaper.
(Getty Images)
Athena Stavrou10 December 2023 05:00
Sunak urges Starmer to ‘rise above’ and support Rwanda bill
Rishi Sunak has urged Sir Keir Starmer to “rise above political games” and “act in the national interest” by supporting his Rwanda bill.
The prime minister is currently battling to keep his own Tory MPs on side, with Conservatives from both the right and the left of the party considering opposing the bill on Tuesday.
Labour will whip to vote against the Bill, meaning a rebellion by just 28 Tories could deliver a humiliating defeat for the Government.
Mr Starmer has stepped up his attacks and will use a speech to accuse the Tories of being unable to govern while their warring factions are “fighting like rats in a sack”.
But Mr Sunak insisted he will take a “significant step” towards his promise to the voters that he will “stop the boats”, which he said the public cares deeply about.
Athena Stavrou10 December 2023 04:00
Starmer accuses Tories of ‘fighting like rats in a sack’ as Sunak faces Rwanda rebellion
Keir Starmer will warn that Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives can no longer govern the county because warring camps are lost “fighting like rats in a sack”.
The Labour leader will launch a new appeal to voters this week by promising he “won’t let the Tories take the country down with them”.
Sir Keir will use a speech on Tuesday to vow that a united Labour has “fundamentally changed” and is now ready to rule Britain.
You can read the report in full below:
Athena Stavrou10 December 2023 03:00
Petition launched to stop Boris Johnson wearing Grimsby football hat as he’s bringing town into ‘disrepute’
An online petition has been launched to stop Boris Johnson from wearing a woolly Grimsby Town hat.
The former prime minister was seen wearing the “GTFC” football hat while leaving the Covid inquiry on Thursday.
Campaign organiser John Dale wrote that Mr Johnson was “using the town to add lustre and glamour” to his life since falling from power.
He wrote: “Disgraced ex-prime minister Boris Johnson attended the Covid inquiry wearing a woolly hat bearing the letters GTFC. It is the hat worn by fans of the highly-respected Grimsby Town Football Club.”
“Johnson has no formal connection to the club. He has never lived in Grimsby. He is using the town to add lustre and glamour to his own shattered life.
As of Saturday afternoon, the petition had reached over 800 signatures.
The hat is reported to be one of two given to Mr Johnson by Great Grimsby’s Tory MP, Lia Nici, an avid supporter of the former prime minister.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson leaves Dorland House in London after giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry (Victoria Jones/PA)
(PA Wire)
Athena Stavrou10 December 2023 02:00
Labour demands travel bans for perpetrators of settler violence in West Bank
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has demanded that ministers impose travel bans on Israelis responsible for settler violence in the West Bank .
He urged the Government to provide greater assistance to humanitarian organisations supporting Palestinians while criticising the “intolerable” death toll in Gaza.
In a hardening of Labour’s tone, he argued in an article for the Observer that “too often, Israeli authorities have turned a blind eye to settler violence”.
He also criticised two hardline Israeli ministers for their “totally unacceptable” support for settlers while promoting “dangerous and extreme rhetoric about Palestinians”.
“Britain should join with key partners like the US in pressuring Israel to act on settler violence,” he wrote.
“The UK Government must impose these travel bans now, and provide greater assistance to humanitarian organisations that support Palestinians at risk of forcible transfer.
“It is imperative that these forcibly displaced Palestinians be supported in returning safely and freely to their homes.”
(PA Wire)
Athena Stavrou10 December 2023 01:00
Starmer says Labour are ready to rule
Sir Keir Starmer is set to vow his “fundamentally changed” party is ready to rule in an upcoming speech on Tuesday.
The Labour leader will claim that it is Labour that “shares Britain’s values” as Rishi Sunak faces a possible rebellion from Tories on his embattled Rwanda policy to curb small boat crossings.
“It is time to come together, to turn the page on this miserable chapter of decline, and walk towards a decade of national renewal,” he is set to say.
“I have dragged this Labour Party back to service, and I will do the same to British politics. I won’t let the Tories drag our country down with them. We cannot and will not let them kick the hope out of our future.”
The speech is being arranged to coincide with the four-year anniversary of the general election in which Boris Johnson’s Conservatives crushed Labour under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
But Sir Keir says his party is now “ready to serve” after a resurgence in which they are riding around 20 percentage points above the Tories in the polls
(Getty Images)
Athena Stavrou9 December 2023 23:59