Rishi Sunak successfully navigated a contentious dispute surrounding his prominent legislation for Rwanda, as a revolt from the Conservative party dissipated and numerous conservative MPs hesitated to further weaken the prime minister’s power.
Following a critical meeting held at the last minute, where over 45 members of the Conservative party expressed rebellion, the leaders of the group determined that voting with Labour to defeat the bill during an election year could potentially lead to the downfall of the government.
Only 11 members of the Conservative party who hold strict beliefs, such as former Secretary of State for the Home Department Suella Braverman and former Minister of Immigration Robert Jenrick, voted against the legislation. The bill ultimately passed with 320 votes in favor and 276 against, giving it a majority of 44.
Downing Street was relieved that after several days of disorder and disagreement in Westminster, where many Tories revolted in favor of amendments to strengthen the legislation, the final Commons hurdle for the bill has been cleared.
Sunak is now confronted with additional challenging conflicts with members of the House of Lords who are already indicating their intention to revise the plan for deporting individuals to Rwanda in order to ensure its compliance with international law.
Individuals who are at risk of being deported to Rwanda may challenge the legislation in court. Lawyers for the government have estimated that there is a 50/50 chance that the first deportation flight will occur before the upcoming general election in the autumn.
According to The Guardian, the Home Office has already chosen the initial 100 individuals to be deported. Officials stated that these specific cases were selected due to the lack of clear reasons for an appeal.
Although Sunak’s risky decision to confront the views of his party has yielded positive results, he has suffered from the departure of two deputy chairs from the Conservative party, Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, and many of his own MPs voicing their doubt towards the effectiveness of the policy.
On Wednesday, there was another revolt as 61 members of the Tory party supported a proposed change, created by Jenrick, to prevent sudden orders from European judges. In the end, this change was voted against by a majority of 65 to 536.
On Wednesday evening, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, informed Members of Parliament: “The disarray that has ensued has severely damaged the prime minister’s leadership – he may hold the title but lacks the authority. His policy has no support from anyone and his own lack of conviction is the true vulnerability.”
During the prime minister’s question session, Sunak promised to take control of the ongoing small boats crisis. However, Downing Street did not refute claims that the Home Office has been unable to communicate with over 4,000 individuals who were supposed to be deported to Rwanda.
The government had introduced various incentives to gain support from Tory MPs for the bill. These included a proposed amendment to Whitehall regulations that would require civil servants to disregard Strasbourg rulings that would delay deportation flights to Rwanda.
The proposed plans have been denounced by unions. It states that Home Office employees tasked with removing asylum seekers will only follow last-minute injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights if explicitly directed to do so by a minister. Three unions representing civil service workers expressed concern over this, as it would force senior officials and border force staff to decide between violating international law, refusing to follow the minister’s orders, or resigning.
The government previously declared their intentions to increase the number of courts and hire 150 additional judges to hasten the processing of asylum appeals based on the Rwanda bill. Following this announcement, Sue Carr, the top judge in England and Wales, voiced her opinion that the assignment of judges should be solely determined by the judiciary.
Unfortunately, the ministers were not able to make any changes to strengthen the bill due to concerns expressed by over 100 One Nation MPs from the center-right party who opposed any attempts to make the legislation even more extreme.
On the second day of discussions about the revisions, Jeremy Wright, a previous attorney general for the Conservative party, stated that it would be unwise for the government to suggest that global laws hold no significance.
He stated that the government should not act as the sole authority on matters of international law. It would be erroneous for this house to approve a bill that implied such power.
Braverman urged fellow members of the Commons to vote against the bill, emphasizing that it was their final opportunity to address the issue. She warned that if they made a mistake, the British public would not be forgiving.
The Tory dissidents created their own legislation inspired by Rwanda, which they claimed would prevent all migrant appeals against deportation without violating international law.
11 Conservative Members of Parliament voted against the bill, which included former cabinet member Simon Clarke, long-time Conservative member Bill Cash, and leaders of the New Conservative party Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger. An additional 18 members, from both sides of the party, chose to abstain from voting.
The majority of rebellious members of the Tory party had a different opinion. One of them stated to the Guardian, “I cannot align myself with Keir Starmer in the voting lobbies, especially with an upcoming election and particularly regarding the topic of immigration.”
Some individuals feared that rejecting the bill at third reading would disrupt the Rwanda plan and cause turmoil within the government. This could potentially result in the Conservative party losing the next election. MP Bob Seely stated that if the bill is not passed, they would all need to find new jobs.
Former minister Tim Loughton cautioned Conservative MPs who planned on voting against the bill to carefully consider their actions before causing another disruption. He acknowledged that the bill may not be flawless, but emphasized that it was currently the most viable solution.
A source from the group of Tory rebels, who spoke after the sudden meeting, informed journalists that most of those who spoke in the room have agreed to support the bill during its third reading. However, a few colleagues will still vote against it due to a matter of principle. Nevertheless, it is highly probable that the bill will pass with ease this evening.
During a day filled with drama, there were instances of humor, such as when Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, expressed his belief that the UK’s deportation plan was taking too long. He stated at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “There are limits to how long this can continue.” When asked by reporters if he was keeping track of the discussion in London, Kagame responded frankly: “It is the UK’s issue, not ours.”
The UK has provided approximately £240 million to his administration through the agreement, and an additional £50 million is projected to be received later in the year. Kagame proposed that this amount could be repaid if Sunak is unsuccessful in implementing the deportation plan.
He stated that the funds will be allocated for those who attend. If they do not attend, the funds can be refunded.
The Rwandan government spokesperson stated that the country is not obligated to return any of the paid funds. However, if the UK requests a refund, they will take it into consideration.
She clarified that this would only pertain to a portion of the allocated funds for migrant assistance. Officials from the Senior Home Office have not disclosed the additional amount of money that the UK has already committed to paying Rwanda as part of the initial five-year agreement.
The Refugee Council’s chief executive, Enver Solomon, stated that the proposed bill would lead to numerous individuals in the UK going missing out of desperation to avoid deportation. He believes it is necessary for the government to acknowledge that the Rwanda plan is not feasible and will only inflict more harm on human beings.
The government’s actions are causing vulnerable individuals to resort to risky and hazardous circumstances. We are concerned that a large number of them may go missing, putting themselves at risk of mistreatment and being taken advantage of in order to avoid being deported to Rwanda.
Source: theguardian.com
