Rwanda bill - live: Sunak’s immigration agenda to face Tory rebels in key vote

Senior Conservatives have urged their fellow Tory MPs to stop plotting against Rishi Sunak and back his Rwanda plan in a Commons vote this week which could deal a major blow to his premiership.

With the crucial vote hanging on a margin of 28 ballots, dozens of hardline Tories could be swayed by a so-called “star chamber” of lawyers, who gave their damning verdict on Sunday that Mr Sunak’s last-ditch legislation to get planes to Rwanda – following his Supreme Court defeat – is “not fit for purpose”.

Ex-Brexit minister David Davis accused Tory colleagues of exacerbating the crisis to boost their own leadership profiles, warning that those “who trade off their own future against the future of the party always lose”, while Iain Duncan Smith urged his party to “stop shouting and just literally discuss these things in a reasonable way”.

Some Tory MPs – described as “mad or malicious or both” by moderate Damian Green – were even reported to be planning an “Advent calendar of s***” for Mr Sunak and plotting the return of Boris Johnson on a “dream ticket” leadership bid with Nigel Farage.

Key Points

• Stop ‘mad’ plotting against Rishi Sunak and back Rwanda plan, Tory rebels warned

• Tory ‘star chamber’ rejects Rwanda plan ahead of Commons showdown

• David Cameron ‘deployed to stave off Tory rebellion’

• Sunak ‘not contemplating’ general election if he loses Rwanda vote

Farage rules out joining Tories – while ‘lame duck’ Sunak in charge

11:47 , Adam Forrest

Nigel Farage has ruled out standing as a Conservative candidate while Rishi Sunak is leader – but hinted that a return to frontline politics is still on the cards.

Interviewed after coming third on I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, the former Brexit Party leader said the Tories have “literally lied to the electorate at four successive general elections” about immigration.

Asked on Good Morning Britain if he will stand as a Conservative candidate at the next election, Mr Farage said: “I don’t think under this leadership there is very much prospect of that.

He added: “I am looking at a Conservative government that is in total shambles, facing tomorrow effectively a confidence vote on an issue … Rishi is a lame duck walking and the Conservative Party are headed for total defeat.”

Tory ‘star chamber’ Rwanda plan verdict due at 12.45pm

11:44 , Joe Middleton

The Tory ‘star chamber’ - a group of lawyers employed by the right-wing of the party - will reportedly read out a short media statement at 12.45pm.

The group is expected to publish its full verdict on Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan shortly after that.

Rishi Sunak could lose Rwanda bill vote ‘by accident’ as Tory revolt builds

11:30 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak could lose the crucial Commons vote on his flagship Rwanda bill “by accident”, according to Conservative MPs.

The PM faces the most perilous week of his premiership yet as the fate of his thwarted deportation plan lies in the hands of two warring Tory factions.

Mr Sunak’s authority is under threat as tribes from the right and moderate wings hold separate meetings on Monday to consider if they will back the beleaguered legislation in a crunch vote on Tuesday.

Although many rebels are planning to back the bill at the first reading stage on Tuesday and “bide their time” until January, the PM has been warned that he could still face a humiliating defeat tomorrow if enough people abstain.

Adam Forrest reports.

Rishi Sunak could lose Rwanda bill vote ‘by accident’ as Tory revolt builds

Sunak should call election if he loses Rwanda vote, says senior Tory

11:16 , Adam Forrest

With some right-wingers keen to pounce on the Rwanda issue to force a vote on Rishi Sunak’s leadership, allies are advising the PM to be ready to call a snap election.

Senior Tory MP Sir Charles Walker, former chair of the 1922 committee, said Mr Sunak should call an immediate general election if the Tories “self-destruct” and the bill is voted down.“If the thought of a third leadership contest in this Parliament leaves me cold, it will most likely cause the country frostbite,” he wrote in the i.

Michael Gove insisted that Mr Sunak is “not contemplating” holding an early general election if the Rwanda Bill is voted down. The cabinet minister told Sky News on Sunday: “No, we’re not contemplating that.”

Eat To Out Help Out in numbers: How much did the scheme really affect Covid cases?

11:11 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak has apologised to bereaved families ahead of being grilled on his ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ scheme, which he orchestrated while serving as the former chancellor.

The plan formed part of Mr Sunak’s summer economic update in July 2020, and provided 50% off the cost of food and/or non-alcoholic drinks.

Only available on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the scheme was aimed to protect jobs in the hospitality sector and was one of several support measures that included VAT cuts, small business grants and rates relief.

Holly Evans reports.

Eat To Out Help Out in numbers: How much did the scheme really affect Covid cases?

VOICES: Nigel Farage’s failure to win ‘I’m A Celeb’ has sealed his political fate

11:00 , Joe Middleton

Coming an unexpectedly poor third will give ‘Mr Brexit’ pause before he attempts yet another political comeback, writes Sean O’Grady

Nigel Farage’s failure to win ‘I’m A Celeb’ has sealed his political fate

Video: Rishi Sunak apologies to those 'who lost loved ones' during Covid Inquiry

10:49 , Joe Middleton

Humza Yousaf accuses Lord Cameron of being ‘petty’ and ‘frankly misguided’ over Cop28 meeting row

10:48 , Joe Middleton

Scotland’s first minister has accused the foreign secretary of being “really petty and frankly misguided” after he threatened to revoke UK government support for the country’s overseas activities.

Humza Yousaf met with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai without a UK government official present.

Lord David Cameron said in a letter on Sunday there would be “no further FCDO facilitation of meetings or logistical support” for the Scottish Government if there are any “further breaches” of protocol.

Mr Yousaf said: “First of all, let’s be clear - the approach from Lord Cameron is really petty and frankly misguided.

“Scotland is the part of the UK, outside of London, that has attracted the most foreign direct investment for eight years in a row, that happens because the Scottish Government’s international engagement is valued (and) has impact.

“To threaten to curtail that, to stop that international engagement - the international engagement from the elected Scottish Government from an unelected lord - I think is misguided and petty.”

And they’re off: Kemi Badenoch takes an early lead in the Tory leadership stakes

10:33 , Joe Middleton

It is a measure of Rishi Sunak’s weakness that the contest to replace him is in full swing, writes John Rentoul.

And they’re off: Kemi Badenoch leads in the Tory leadership stakes | John Rentoul

Watch live: Rishi Sunak gives evidence to UK Covid Inquiry as he’s grilled over Eat Out To Help Out scheme

10:27 , Joe Middleton

Watch live as Rishi Sunak gives evidence to the UK Covid Inquiry as he’s grilled over the Eat Out To Help Out scheme on Monday (11 December).

Mr Sunak was heckled as he arrived at the inquiry early on Monday morning.

The prime minister, who was chancellor during the pandemic, is expected to be challenged over claims the Eat Out to Help Out scheme spread the disease.

Watch: Sunak gives evidence to Covid Inquiry as he’s grilled over Eat Out To Help Out

Video: Defence secretary Grant Shapps confirm transfer of two naval minehunters to Ukraine

10:21 , Joe Middleton

Tory ‘star chamber’ will publish verdict on Sunak’s Rwanda plan at 1pm

10:12 , Joe Middleton

The Tory ‘star chamber’ - a group of lawyers employed by the right-wing of the party - will publish its verdict on Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan at 1pm.

Conservative MP Mark Francois confirmed the timings with GB News this morning. He told the broadcaster: “There will be discussions all day and probably into tomorrow about how to vote” at the second reading of the Rwanda Bill.

“I have learned form past experience never to predict that way in advance.”

Video: Nigel Farage boasts I'm A Celebrity is 'biggest paycheck I've had'

10:00 , Joe Middleton

The questions Rishi Sunak will face at the Covid inquiry

09:54 , Joe Middleton

Were they really ‘following the science’ in Downing Street during the pandemic? Sean O’Grady looks at what the inquiry lawyers will have in store for the prime minister

The questions Rishi Sunak will face at the Covid inquiry

‘Never say never’: Nigel Farage hints at return to frontline politics after jungle exit

09:39 , Joe Middleton

Nigel Farage has made his latest hint at a return to frontline politics, declaring: “Never say never.”

After placing third on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, the former UKIP leader launched a stinging attack on the Conservatives and Labour.

He has been expected to use his appearance on the ITV show in a bid to mount a political comeback, having stepped back from the head of the Reform UK party in 2021.

Archie Mitchell reports.

‘Never say never,’ Farage hints at return to frontline politics after jungle exit

Sunak ‘saved the economy’ during the pandemic, claims Shapps

09:33 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak “saved the economy” and provided “huge amounts of support” during the pandemic, cabinet minister Grant Shapps has said.

As the prime minister prepares to give evidence to the Covid inquiry this morning, the defence secretary said: “It’s so easy in hindsight to look at all these things with 20/20 vision and say ‘Ah, if only you had done X at Y moment in time’.

“The fact of the matter is Rishi Sunak, during Covid, saved millions of jobs in this country through the furlough programme and saved millions of businesses as well, with huge amounts of support - over £400 billion.”

Mr Shapps told GB News: “I think we should actually remember that he was the guy who saved the economy, an economy which - against all the expectations previously - has actually grown this year as a result of the decisions he made not to allow businesses and jobs to go.”

Gary Lineker suggests Tory MP may be illiterate in asylum row

09:26 , Joe Middleton

The row over Gary Lineker’s support for a “fair” plan for refugees in Britain has descended into a war of words between the football pundit and a Tory MP.

Outspoken right-winger Jonathan Gullis became the latest Conservative to attack the former England star, accusing him of “yet another breach” of the BBC’s rules on political impartiality.

“Sadly, spineless [BBC director general] Tim Davie will do nothing about it, having surrendered to Lineker previously,” Mr Gullis added.

Mr Lineker hit back by suggesting that the Stoke-on-Trent MP may be illiterate. The Match of the Day presenter said: “Jonathan hasn’t read the new guidelines….or, should I say, had someone read them to him?”

‘Lives are more important than money’: Rishi Sunak heckled as he arrives at Covid inquiry

09:10 , Joe Middleton

Prime minister Rishi Sunak was heckled as he arrived to give evidence at the Covid inquiry in central London.

Protesters shouted “lives are more important than money” as he became the latest politician to turn up to give evidence and justify the decisions he made as chancellor during the pandemic.

He is expected to face robust questioning over his now infamous Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

My colleague Alex Ross is covering the Covid inquiry and you can follow all the latest as the prime minister gives evidence by clicking here.

Shapps refuses to answer if Tory MPs would lose party whip if they vote against Sunak’s Rwanda plan

08:55 , Joe Middleton

Grant Shapps refused to answer if Tory MPs would lose the party whip if they voted against Rishi Sunak’s flagship Rwanda plan.

He was asked by a BBC presenter: “If a Conservative MP was to vote against the Government would they lose the party whip?”

Mr Shapps responded: “You’ll have to act the whips about the way that would operate...I don’t have the parliamentary maths, what I do know is that this legislation is very important.

“The second reading, which happens this week, is essentially saying we want to actually tackle this problem and we invite all parliamentarians to vote for it. I’ve been dealing with two wars, I’m afraid I haven’t had my head in parliamentary numbers.”

‘Dr Death’ Rishi Sunak to be grilled over Eat Out to Help out and missing WhatsApps

08:39 , Joe Middleton

Rishi Sunak’s allies believe the Covid inquiry has already decided his Eat Out to Help Out scheme was harmful, it is claimed.

The prime minister, who was chancellor during the pandemic, will be grilled over the hospitality scheme from 10.30am by the probe’s lead counsel Hugo Keith KC.

Mr Sunak will also face questions over whether he opposed measures to contain the virus and his failure to hand over WhatsApp messages from his time as chancellor to the inquiry.

Archie Mitchell reports on the prime minister’s imminent appearance at the Covid inquiry:

‘Dr Death’ Rishi Sunak to be grilled over Eat Out to Help out and missing WhatsApps

Gary Lineker told to stick to football after call to scrap Rwanda scheme

08:14 , Holly Evans

BBC presenter Gary Lineker has urged the government to scrap its Rwanda asylum scheme and called for a “fair new plan” for refugees.

The Match of the Day presenter signed the letter, along with dozens of celebrities and high-profile figures, which calls for a new asylum system that “reflects the will of the British people”.

It comes after the £140m plan was struck down by the Supreme Court for creating a “real risk” of leaving refugees open to human rights breaches.

Read more here

Gary Lineker told to stick to football after call to scrap Rwanda scheme

Defence secretary denies Sunak’s leadership is in chaos

08:09 , Holly Evans

Grant Shapps has rejected the suggestion Rishi Sunak’s leadership was in chaos, insisting the Prime Minister was succeeding in cutting small boat crossings and meeting key economic pledges, and dismissing rows over Rwanda as part of normal parliamentary politics.

Asked if Mr Sunak’s leadership was being questioned, the Defence Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “I just don’t agree with you … a third down, in terms of crossings, slashed by a third. Inflation halved, the economy growing when every commentator and body was saying that it would shrink this year.

“We are having success in these areas. Because, yes, sometimes you have to fight these things through, yes, you will have arguments about them – that’s the whole point of parliamentarians, if you don’t mind me saying, rather than some sort of spectacular goings-on.

“But, actually, the facts are we’re having success with it.”

Stop ‘mad’ plotting against Sunak, Tory rebels warned

08:00 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Conservative MPs have been warned not to use the deepening crisis over the Rwanda Bill to launch a “mad and malicious” attempt to replace Rishi Sunak as leader.

Dubbed the “pasta plotters”, a small group of anti-Sunak MPs are said to have met at an Italian restaurant to plan “an Advent calendar of s***” for the Tory leader this month over the deportation issue.

Mr Sunak’s authority was dealt a fresh blow as a group of right-wing Tories concluded that the bill is not fit for purpose – with those in revolt telling The Independent they are prepared to vote against the prime minister in January.

The prime minister's allies said it would be “bonkers” for MPs to vote against the bill on Tuesday, and dismissed the idea of trying to force a new leadership contest as “silly” and self-defeating.

Adam Forrest reports.

Stop ‘mad’ plots against Sunak and back Rwanda plan, Tory rebels warned

What is Sunak government’s new Rwanda plan and could it trigger an election?

08:00 , Holly Evans

Rishi Sunak has introduced legislation and staged an emergency press conference in a bid to salvage his Government’s Rwanda policy and reassert his authority over a fractious Conservative Party.

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled the policy was unlawful and could not go ahead as it was, concluding there was a real risk that genuine refugees sent to Rwanda could be returned to their home country, where they would face “ill-treatment”.

In an effort to address the court’s concerns, Home Secretary James Cleverly travelled to the country’s capital Kigali on Tuesday to sign a fresh treaty before setting out details of the accompanying Bill in the Commons on Wednesday.

Read more here

What is Sunak government’s new Rwanda plan and could it trigger an election?

Shapps says Gary Lineker should stick to TV after criticising Rwanda scheme

07:48 , Holly Evans

Cabinet minister Grant Shapps has said Gary Lineker should stick to TV and questioned whether the Match of the Day host should continue expressing political views.

Former England footballer Lineker was among a group of celebrities calling for the Government to scrap its Rwanda scheme.

Asked if Lineker should express those views while working for the BBC, Defence Secretary Mr Shapps told Times Radio: “No. And he’s been through all of this before. The BBC have told him he shouldn’t do this type of thing but still it continues.

“The point I would make to Mr Lineker is: what is right or moral about having people trafficked dangerously across the English Channel, losing their lives at sea, illegally entering the country? That is not a civilised, morally correct thing to do.”

He added: “I just fundamentally disagree with him. What happens to him next is up to the BBC.

“As far as I see it, they have issued previous warnings to him, so it’ll be interesting to see what they do and say at this point.

“I know millions of people watch him for his football commentary and TV presenting, I would have thought it’s better to stick with that.”

Shapps insists asylum seekers would only have a ‘very narrow’ path to avoid flights

07:29 , Holly Evans

Cabinet minister Grant Shapps has insisted the Rwanda scheme would prevent the vast majority of attempts to use the courts to avoid being sent to the African nation.

He rejected calls from the Tory right to ignore international law and insisted asylum seekers earmarked for flights to Rwanda would only have a “very narrow” legal path to avoid being put on a plane.

He told Times Radio: “The modelling shows … that only one out of 200 cases would now pass through, once this legislation – in the form proposed – has gone through and become law.

“I think it’s the case that once you break the model, that people will stop trying, or the people traffickers will stop trying to send people because it will be fundamentally unsuccessful.

“Now, you can always have an argument should you just break international law, or ignore the whole thing, or what have you.

“We think, on balance, the United Kingdom is a country which respects international law.”

Warring Tory factions set to hold summit over Rwanda bill before vote

07:00 , Athena Stavrou

Tory MPs from both wings of the bitterly divided party will convene to discuss their verdicts on Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda legislation in a major test for his leadership today.

The European Research Group of hardline Brexiteers will hold a summit to discuss the policy with other factions on the Conservative right on Monday.

Veteran MP Sir Bill Cash will present the findings of his so-called “star chamber” of lawyers, before they discuss how to vote on the Prime Minister’s Bill on Tuesday.

The more moderate wing of One Nation Conservatives are then set to hold a separate evening meeting in Parliament before releasing a statement on their judgment.

Sir Bill has already signalled that they do not believe the proposed law is fit for purpose to get the grounded £290 million scheme up and running, as it stands.

Tuesday is the first opportunity for the Commons to vote on the legislation, in what is called a second reading. A government Bill has not been defeated at this stage since 1986.

Far more common are defeats and amendments at later stages, but Mr Sunak only needs a rebellion of 28 Tories to see his majority destroyed as Labour will vote against it.

Rishi Sunak to face Tory rebels ahead of key immigration vote: ‘Weak bill that will not work’

06:30 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Prime minister Rishi Sunak faces the most perilous week of his leadership as factions in his bitterly divided Conservative party weigh up whether to derail his Rwanda legislation and his authority with it.

He faces a threat from both the right and left as the tribes hold separate meetings today to consider if they will back the flagship bill in a crunch vote on Tuesday.

Mr Sunak and top ministers including foreign secretary Lord Cameron have been engaging with MPs over the weekend in order to quell any rebellion.

Mr Sunak has told MPs the Conservatives must “unite or die”, but it is unclear whether they will heed his warnings, as some of his possible successors court limelight.

Robert Jenrick, who resigned as immigration minister over the legislation, told the BBC on Sunday he will not support the “weak bill that will not work”.

But he said “we can fix this”, raising the possibility he could abstain along with other opponents before trying to amend the legislation at a later stage.

Veteran MP Sir Bill Cash wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that the bill is not “sufficiently watertight to meet the Government’s policy objectives”, but suggested it could be amended and fixed.

Tuesday is the first opportunity for the Commons to vote on the legislation, in what is called a second reading. A government bill has not been defeated at this stage since 1986.

Leaked Home Office documents estimate Rwanda policy will stop ‘99.5% of migrant claims’

06:00 , Athena Stavrou

The Home Office believes that Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda policy will stop 99.5% of migrant claims from being successful in blocking their deportation to Rwanda, according to reports.

Leaked documents seen by The Times reportedly show modelling predicting that nine in ten of individual legal challenges would be rejected with no right of appeal within 10 days of their arrival in the UK.

Officials believe that of the ten percent granted a hearing, 90 per cent of these would fail at a second legal stage. Modelling then reportedly estimates that just half of the cases making it to a tribunal stage would succeed, the newspaper says.

To be successful under the prime minister’s flagship policy, migrants would have to provide evidence that they faced “serious and irreversible harm” if removed to Rwanda.

If modelling proves to be correct, just five out of every 1,000 migrant claims would prove successful.

Defeat for Bill at this stage would be first in nearly 40 years

05:00 , Sam Rkaina

Tuesday is the first opportunity for the Commons to vote on the legislation, in what is called a second reading. A government Bill has not been defeated at this stage since 1986.

Far more common are defeats and amendments at later stages, but Mr Sunak only needs a rebellion of 28 Tories to see his majority destroyed as Labour will vote against it.

A defeat would shred the Prime Minister’s authority, but One Nation chairman Damian Green said any Conservative who thinks they should change leader is “either mad, or malicious, or both”.

Conservative former solicitor general Lord Garnier, who has done the legal work for that group, has compared the Bill with ruling “all dogs are cats” by claiming Rwanda is safe.

He plans to oppose it in the Lords, where Mr Sunak’s battle is likely to be even greater, and has described it as making both political and legal “nonsense”.

A legal assessment for the Government has given it only a “50% at best” chance of successfully getting flights to Kigali off next year.

But Cabinet minister Michael Gove said on Sunday the Bill is “legally sound” and called it “tough and robust” while signalling an openness to possible improvements.

Rwanda plan timeline: May and June 2023

04:00 , Sam Rkaina

May 7: The former head of the British army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, attacks the government’s plan to send migrants who arrived on small boats to Rwanda – saying the country is still living under the “shadow of genocide”.

May 15: Ms Braverman sets out her plan for conservatism at a right-wing conference in central London. She spoke of her own parents’ arrival in Britain “through legal and controlled migration” and added that immigrants should “learn English and understand British social norms and mores”.

June 29: The Rwanda deal is ruled unlawful by the Court of Appeal with judges concluding that it is not a safe country to forcibly deport asylum seekers. The decision handed down by Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, reverses the decision made by the High Court and said: “Unless and until the deficiencies in its asylum processes are corrected, removeal of asylum seekers to Rwanda will be unlawful.”

Rwanda plan timeline: April 2023

03:00 , Sam Rkaina

April 14: New figures show the Rwanda deal is failing to deter asylum seekers from crossing the English Channel a year after it was signed. As of early April, almost 5,000 people had made the journey since the start of 2023, which is almost exactly the same figure seen by the same point in 2022.

April 15: Small boat migrants previously threatened with deportation to Rwanda have been accepted into the UK’s asylum system after months of living in limbo. They were among thousands of asylum seekers sent “notices of intent” because they passed through countries, such as France, where the UK claims they could have remained before crossing the English Channel Their notices were subsequently withdrawn.

April 24: The next stage of the legal battle over the Rwanda deal began, with the Court of Appeal to reconsider if it is safe to send asylum seekers to the country. Suella Braverman widened the scope of the agreement since it was ruled lawful by the High Court in December 2022, meaning that it can also be applied to modern slavery victims and other small boat migrants.

April 24: Raza Husain KC told the Court of Appeal that Rwanda is not a safe country to receive asylum seekers from the UK and the High Court was wrong to declare the scheme lawful. The appellants argue that the Home Office breached several legal duties in deciding that Rwanda was a safe country to receive refugees, and failed to properly investigate the outcome of a similar deal with Israel which operated from 2013 to 2018.

Rwanda plan timeline: Jan to March 2023

02:00 , Sam Rkaina

January 4: Prime minister Rishi Sunak announces legislation to tackle the migrant crisis is one of five key priorities for his premiership.

March 7: Ms Braverman tells MPs the Illegal Migration Bill will impose a legal duty to remove those arriving in the country illegally, barring them from claiming asylum in the UK.

March 10: Tensions mount as Mr Sunak defends the policy as “the right approach” against criticism from sports pundit Gary Lineker. Lineker’s intervention led to a high-profile impartiality row that saw him suspended from Match Of The Day. A number of his colleagues, including Alan Shearer and Ian Wright boycotted the show and others in solidarity with the presenter and he was later reinstated.

March 12: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt does not rule out the prospect of children being detained under the new plans, which would see those crossing the Channel eligible for asylum only in a “safe” third country such as Rwanda.

March 13: The plan draws criticism from former Tory prime minister Theresa May, who says it is “not enough” to send people to claim asylum in Rwanda and warns the UK is “shutting the door” on victims of modern slavery.

March 14: A High Court judge rules that asylum seekers facing removal to Rwanda can appeal against Home Office decisions over alleged errors in the consideration of whether relocation poses a risk to their human rights, dealing another blow to the plan.

March 17: Ms Braverman doubles down on the deportation policy on a visit to Rwanda despite the plan remaining embroiled in legal battles, claiming the £140 million deal will be a “powerful deterrent” to those attempting to cross the Channel.

March 18: Ms Braverman is given a tour of potential migrant housing after the land was purchased by the Rwandan government, ahead of meeting with President Paul Kagame and her counterpart Vincent Biruta to discuss the deal.

Rwanda plan timeline: 2022

01:00 , Sam Rkaina

April 14: Following a drastic increase in the number of people crossing the Channel, then-prime minister Boris Johnson announces a plan to deport migrants arriving in small boats to Rwanda for their claims to be processed. He says this would act as a “very considerable deterrent”.

June 15: The first deportation flight to Rwanda is cancelled just minutes before take-off following a ruling by a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

August 23: The Ministry of Defence says 1,295 migrants made the crossing in 27 boats, another new record which remains the highest figure for a single day.

August 25: Former home secretary Priti Patel announces an agreement with the Albanian government to send migrants back in a bid to curb the numbers arriving from that country amid concerns they account for 60 per cent of all UK arrivals.

November 14: New Home Secretary Suella Braverman signs an agreement with French interior minister Gerald Darmian allowing British officers to join French beach patrols.

November 23: Ms Braverman admits the government has “failed to control our borders”, but tells MPs they are determined to “fix” the problem, following criticism of overcrowding at the Manston processing centre in Kent.

December 14: Four people die and 39 others are rescued after their dinghy capsizes in the Channel.

December 19: The High Court rules the government’s Rwanda policy is lawful, but orders the cases of the first eight deportees to be reconsidered.

December 31: Some 45,755 migrants made the Channel crossing over the course of the year, according to government figures.

‘Weak Bill is not watertight'

00:01 , Sam Rkaina

Robert Jenrick, who resigned as immigration minister over the legislation, told the BBC on Sunday he will not support the “weak Bill that will not work”.

But he said “we can fix this”, raising the possibility he could abstain along with other opponents before trying to amend the legislation at a later stage.

That could spare the Prime Minister a damaging defeat during a perilous week that begins with a grilling at the official coronavirus inquiry.

Mark Francois, chairman of the European Research Group, has invited the New Conservatives and the Common Sense and Conservative Growth groups to hear Sir Bill Cash’s “forensic examination” at the Commons meeting.

“We then aim to have a collective discussion about our best approach to the second reading of the Bill, on Tuesday,” the MP said.

Sir Bill wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that the Bill is not “sufficiently watertight to meet the Government’s policy objectives”, but suggested it could be amended and fixed.

Sunak has spent weekend trying to quell rebellion

Sunday 10 December 2023 23:00 , Sam Rkaina

Mr Sunak and top ministers including Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron have been engaging with MPs over the weekend in order to quell any rebellion.

The Prime Minister has tried to find a middle ground in response to the Supreme Court finding that plans to send asylum seekers who arrive on small boats are unlawful.

But some on the right believe it does not go far enough in casting aside international law, while moderates have concerns about its legal impact and about ordering courts to deem Rwanda a “safe” country.

Mr Sunak has told MPs the Conservatives must “unite or die”, but it is unclear whether they will heed his warnings, as some of his possible successors court limelight.

Tory factions to hold summits over Sunak’s Rwanda Bill before crunch vote

Sunday 10 December 2023 22:00 , Sam Rkaina

Tory MPs from both wings of the bitterly divided party will convene to discuss their verdicts on Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda legislation in a major test for his leadership.

The European Research Group of hardline Brexiteers will first hold a summit on the measure to revive the asylum policy with other factions on the Conservative right on Monday.

Veteran MP Sir Bill Cash will present the findings of his so-called “star chamber” of lawyers, before they discuss how to vote on the Prime Minister’s Bill on Tuesday.

But Sir Bill has already signalled that they do not believe the proposed law is fit for purpose to get the grounded £290 million scheme up and running, as it stands.

Then the more moderate wing of One Nation Conservatives will hold a separate evening meeting in Parliament before releasing a statement on their judgment.

Three options government is considering to make Rwanda deportation plan work

Sunday 10 December 2023 21:00 , Sam Rkaina

Mr Sunak, under pressure from MPs on the right of his party to reduce migration to the UK, is said to be taking a three-pronged approach to make his Rwanda plan, which has already cost taxpayers £140m, viable.

The first part of that plan was for the UK to update its memorandum of understanding with Rwanda to a treaty. James Cleverly this week met with his counterpart, Vincent Biruta, to put pen to paper in a signing ceremony and to discuss key next steps on the so-called migration and economic development partnership.

The second part of the government’s plan was to effectively ignore or override the Supreme Court’s ruling by passing emergency legislation in parliament that would designate Rwanda as a safe country, in a highly controversial move that has been criticised by eminent legal professionals and experts.

The government is also said to be considering a third option: preparing a dossier of evidence designed to show that Rwanda is a safe country for asylum seekers to be sent to.

For more detail on the three options, and their flaws, click here.

Rishi Sunak locked outside No 10 with Mark Rutte in awkward moment

Sunday 10 December 2023 20:00 , Sam Rkaina

It’s fair to say Rishi Sunak has not had the best week.

Rebellions from his own party and rumblings of leadership challenges notwithstanding, he found himself literally locked out of Number 10 on Thursday.

The UK prime minister and his outgoing Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte were meeting in London for policy discussions.

Mr Rutte arrived to greet Mr Sunak and the pair posed for photographs as they shook hands.

Then Mr Sunak turned to open the door - only to find they were locked out.

They continue to chat as Mr Sunak attempted to push the door, before someone already inside eventually let them in.

Rishi Sunak locked outside No 10 with Mark Rutte in awkward moment

Gove insists Sunak won’t call general election if he loses key Rwanda vote

Sunday 10 December 2023 19:00 , Sam Rkaina

Speaking earlier on Sunday, Michael Gove insisted the government was not thinking about launching a general election if it fails to get the Bill through parliament.

“No, we’re not contemplating that because I’m confident that when people look at the legislation and have a chance to reflect they will recognise this is a tough but also proportionate measure,” he told Sky.

He argued to the BBC that it is “legally sound” despite one legal assessment for the government giving it a “50 per cent at best” chance of success, and said it only leaves “narrow” scope for court appeals.

Rwanda president Paul Kagame like ‘Putin of Africa’, Bill Browder claims

Sunday 10 December 2023 18:00 , Sam Rkaina

The president of Rwanda “is like the Putin of Africa”, an anti-corruption campaigner who has taken on the Russian president has said.

Financier and political activist Bill Browder made the comparison between Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Russian president Vladimir Putin on BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.

He was on the show to discuss emergency legislation which aims to rescue the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda after the scheme was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court.

Mr Browder used the example of Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager hero on whom the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda was based.

Mr Rusesabagina was sentenced in 2021 to 25 years in prison in Rwanda on terrorism charges. He was released after serving two years and returned to the US, where he now lives.

“I know this story very intimately because, the hero of the movie Hotel Rwanda, the guy who saved 1,200 people during the genocide, he was critical of Paul Kagame,” Mr Browder said.

“He was then kidnapped, brought back to Rwanda and sentenced to 25 years in a trumped-up trial. The idea that we’re going to be sending political refugees to a country that’s like that is just absurd.”

Mr Browder added that the whole Rwanda migration plan should be “torn up”.

“The whole thing should be torn up and thrown out,” he said. “If we want to stop uncontrolled migration there are other ways, but Rwanda is just completely absurd.”

Rwanda bill only has 'narrow exemptions' for appeal against deportation, Gove says

Sunday 10 December 2023 17:07 , Andy Gregory

‘It makes me feel sick’: Mixed nationality couples share their outrage at new Tory immigration plan

Sunday 10 December 2023 16:47 , Andy Gregory

Thousands of mixed nationality couples face “sickening” uncertainty after new immigration legislation doubled the earning requirement for obtaining a spouse visa.

As part of the new five-step immigration plan, partners hoping to settle in the UK on a spouse visa will only be able to do so if their husband or wife is earning £38,700 – a £20,000 increase from the current figure of £18,700.

The new rules come into force in April, but the Home Office says those who are on a family visa of less than £38,700 will not be asked to immediately present their yearly salary, but it has not clarified what will unfold when they come to renew their visa.

The increase has sparked concern in many marriages, MP Nadia Whittome said: “Three-quarters of British workers won’t be able to get a visa for a spouse from abroad.”

My colleague Lydia Patrick has spoken to families who fear they will be forced to leave the UK:

Mixed nationality couples share their outrage at the new Tory immigration plan

Sunak’s Rwanda plan is ‘strong meat’, says Gove

Sunday 10 December 2023 16:02 , Andy Gregory

The government’s new Rwanda legislation is “strong meat”, Communities Secretary Michael Gove has said.

Mr Gove told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “It strikes out human rights legislation in a way that some people I know find strong meat.

“And it’s because the reaction from those who are critical of the Bill on one side is so clear, that I think that we can take it that this Bill is certainly the robust measure required.”

He added that it was “not correct” that everyone could make a claim under the new legislation.

Watch: Rishi Sunak 'not contemplating' early election, says Michael Gove

Sunday 10 December 2023 15:49 , Andy Gregory

Rebels prepared to vote against Sunak’s bill – in 2024

Sunday 10 December 2023 15:21 , Andy Gregory

One senior Conservative MP involved in the “star chamber” discussions told The Independent that the critique of the bill set out on Monday afternoon would be “strong”.

The Tory right-winger said the ability of individuals to make legal claims “could see the courts inundated, which would mean the whole process getting snarled up again”.

The senior MP also said some rebels were prepared to vote against in early in 2024. “I think many see the wisdom in biding their time until the third reading. If it’s not remedied, then we shouldn’t back a bill that doesn’t do the business.”

They denied using the bill as a bid to plot against the PM – insisting that the challenge was not about Mr Sunak’s leadership.

‘Bonkers’ to replace Rishi Sunak, says David Davis

Sunday 10 December 2023 15:03 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

Senior Tory David Davis told The Independent that the rebels “would be bonkers to vote against it – the bill goes about as far as it can”.

The former cabinet minister said he did not think 29 MPs would defy Mr Sunak when it came to the crunch of the third reading stage in January.

Mr Davis said a small number of MPs were on “manoeuvres” against Mr Sunak.

“It’s silly. It’s self-evident that some are using this issue [to undermine the PM]. I talk to people who have very little time for Rishi Sunak, but who still think it’d be bonkers to replace him.”

Michael Gove defends ‘salty’ Tory meme

Sunday 10 December 2023 14:32 , Andy Gregory

Michael Gove has defended a “salty” social media post from his party that attacks Labour with an image of a BBC News presenter unwittingly giving the middle finger during a broadcast – which has been criticised by senior Tories Alicia Kearns and Tobias Ellwood.

Asked on Sky News about the post, housing secretary Mr Gove said: “It’s certainly a salty intervention in public debate.

“But I think the important thing to bear in mind is that our political conversation takes place in a variety of different ways, on different platforms, and it’s important both to engage people where they are but also, a very powerful point is made is that Labour have nothing to say on the question of illegal migration.

“I think that anyone who has ever looked at my social media will see that I am no social media ninja.

“My social media is herbivorous, to put it mildly – but on social media you have a lively debate and that is a powerful contribution to a very lively debate.”

Right-wing Tories to meet on Monday to hear Rwanda ‘star chamber’ findings

Sunday 10 December 2023 14:15 , Andy Gregory

Conservatives on the right of the party will meet on Monday afternoon to discuss a legal examination of Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda legislation.

Mark Francois, chairman for the European Research Group, said: “The ERG will be meeting tomorrow, from noon onwards, to hear a presentation from Sir Bill Cash on the findings of his ‘star chamber’ of legal experts, following their forensic examination of the Rwanda Bill.

“Under the circumstances, we are also extending an invitation to members of other backbench groups within the Conservative family, including the New Conservatives; the Common Sense Group; the Conservative Growth Group and the Northern Research Group.

“We then aim to have a collective discussion about our best approach to the Second Reading of the Bill, on Tuesday.”

Michelle Mone hits out at government over PPE controversy

Sunday 10 December 2023 13:56 , Andy Gregory

Tory peer Michelle Mone has accused the government of using her as a scapegoat for its own Covid failings, as she conceded making an “error” in publicly denying her links to the PPE Medpro firm being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Lady Mone told The Telegraph she is “ashamed of being a Conservative peer given what this government has done to us”, as the Ultimo bra tycoon launched a public defence on Sunday over the controversy surrounding “VIP lane” contracts during the pandemic.

PPE Medpro was awarded government contracts worth more than £200m to supply personal protective equipment after she recommended it to ministers. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has since issued breach of contract proceedings over the 2020 deal on the supply of gowns.

Lady Mone told a YouTube documentary that she and her husband Doug Barrowman would be cleared, arguing they have “done nothing wrong”, but said: “I made an error in what I said to the press. I regret not saying to the press straight away, ‘Yes, I am involved.’ And the government knew I was involved.”

She claimed it is “100 per cent a lie” to suggest she was not transparent with officials, and the pair claimed a “DHSC negotiator” suggested the case could “go away” for the right sum.

Labour’s Wes Streeting claims ‘wasteful’ NHS using winter crises as excuse for cash

Sunday 10 December 2023 13:37 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has accused the “wasteful” NHS of using repeated winter crises as “an excuse to ask for more money”.

The key figure in Sir Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet said the public needed “to hear the truth about the NHS” – promising a “tough love” approach to running the health service.

Mr Streeting vowed to “shake the NHS and the public out of complacency” over Britain’s healthcare, as he pledged to bring back a family doctor system as part of Labour’s wide-ranging reforms.

“I think people working in the NHS and the patients using the NHS can see examples of waste and inefficiency,” he told The Sunday Times on a visit to Singapore.

And in an outspoken attack on health service bosses, Mr Streeting added: “I don’t think it’s good enough that the NHS uses every winter crisis and every challenge it faces as an excuse to ask for more money.”

Labour’s Wes Streeting claims ‘wasteful’ NHS using winter crises as excuse for cash

Stop ‘mad’ plotting against Sunak and back Rwanda plan, Tory rebels warned

Sunday 10 December 2023 13:19 , Andy Gregory

Senior Conservatives have urged their fellow Tory MPs to stop plotting against Rishi Sunak and back his Rwanda plan in next week’s crucial Commons vote.

Ex-Brexit minister David Davis accused Mr Sunak’s rivals of exacerbating the crisis to boost their own leadership profiles, telling Sky News: “I’m not going to name them [the MPs]. All of my colleagues know who they are – and it will be to their long-term disadvantage.

“I’ve seen this before. People who trade off their own future against the future of the party always lose.”

In a similar appeal for calm, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith urged his party on GB News to “stop shouting and just literally discuss these things in a reasonable way”.

And with some Tory MPs even reported to be planning an “Advent calendar of s***” for Mr Sunak and plotting the return of Boris Johnson on a “dream ticket” leadership bid with Nigel Farage, moderate Damian Green said: “Anyone who thinks that what the Conservative party or the country needs is a change of prime minister is either mad or malicious or both.”

“It is a very, very small number doing that [plotting to oust Mr Sunak] – a vanishing small number,” he told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show.

‘Five families’ of Tory MPs will discuss bill on Monday

Sunday 10 December 2023 12:52 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

Senior right-winger Sir Bill Cash will present the “star chamber” findings on the Rwanda bill to MPs in five different backbench groups at lunchtime on Monday.

Brexiteer Mark Francois, the European Research Group chairman, said a presentation on the “forensic examination” of Rishi Sunak’s bill would be heard at noon.

He said an invitation had been extended to MPs in the New Conservatives group run by Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates, the Common Sense Group run by Suella Braverman ally Johns Hayes, the Conservative Growth Group made up of Liz Truss allies, and the Northern Research Group of red-wall MPs.

“We then aim to have a collective discussion about our best approach to the second reading of the Bill, on Tuesday,” said Mr Francois.

Tories could see worst general election result in history with just 130 seats, says John Curtice

Sunday 10 December 2023 12:39 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are facing their worst ever result at the general election and could be left with just 130 seats, according to Professor Sir John Curtice.

The country’s top polling guru warned of the bleak situation faced by the Tories as they head into winter with the news dominated by in-fighting over the PM’s Rwanda deportation plan.

Prof Curtice said Mr Sunak’s party would be “lucky to win [many] more than 200 seats” and could see an even worse result if its dire poll ratings continued.

“If these patterns were to be replicated in a general election, the outcome for the Conservatives could be bleak indeed – maybe as few as 130 seats, the worst outcome in the party’s history,” he wrote for the Sunday Telegraph.

The outcome would be even worse than the 165 seats the Tories were left with in 1997, when the party, then led by John Major, was thumped by Tony Blair’s Labour – who won a landslide 179-seat majority.

Tories facing general election wipeout with just 130 seats, says John Curtice

Braverman suggest Sunak is lying about Rwanda’s concerns over bill

Sunday 10 December 2023 11:55 , Adam Forrest

Sacked home secretary Suella Braverman has piled even more pressure on Rishi Sunak – attacking his “rather strange” claim that a tougher bill would have caused the deal with Rwanda to collapse.

Suggesting the PM was not telling the truth, 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.”

Ms Braverman said the bill “not fit for purpose” because of the “gaping holes” she believes it leaves open for legal challenges.

Backing Robert Jenrick’s claim that the bill leaves open legal challenges by individual asylum seekers, Ms Braverman said: “There will be individual claims brought by every person who is put on the first flight to Rwanda.”

She also claimed the bill it leaves the government open to injunctions by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which helped block last year’s planned Rwanda flight. “As it stands Rule 39 [injunctions] will block flights,” Ms Braverman said.

Iain Duncan Smith wants ‘jungle’ of Tory infighting to stop

Sunday 10 December 2023 11:41 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

Sir Iain Duncan Smith has appealed to MPs to end their in-fighting over the Rwanda bill and discuss the issue “in a reasonable way”.

The former Tory leader suggested that he wanted to support Rishi Sunak’s plan – but said he would wait to hear the legal verdict of the “star chamber” convened by the Tory right.

He said on GB News: “The truth is, we do a lot of shouting at the moment and I wish we'd stop shouting and just literally discuss these things in a reasonable way.

“I've been in the jungle now for 32 years, it’s called parliament. And frankly, that is worse than any insect bites you can possibly get.”

“So there’s good stuff in [the bill] and it’s a good attempt to do this. The question is whether on the margins that brings the exact results or unexpected consequences and so I’ve held my own counsel. I want to see what the final report of these lawyers.”

Asked if he thought flights to Rwanda would take off before the next general election, he said: “I think we have to. I think it is wholly feasible.”

Rwanda president Kagame is ‘like Putin of Africa’, says Bill Browder

Sunday 10 December 2023 11:29 , Andy Gregory

The president of Rwanda “is like the Putin of Africa”, anti-corruption campaigner Bill Browder has said.

The head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign told the BBC: “Everyone’s ignoring the elephant in the room which is Rwanda. So, the president of Rwanda Paul Kagame is like the Putin of Africa.”

Mr Browder used the example of Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager hero on whom the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda was based, who in 2021 was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Rwanda on terrorism charges. He was released after serving two years and returned to the US, where he now lives.

Mr Browder added: “The idea that we’re going to be sending political refugees to a country that’s like that is just absurd. The whole thing should be torn up and thrown out.”

Rwanda president Paul Kagame like ‘Putin of Africa’, Bill Browder claims

Sunak’s government ‘in desperate dying days’, says Labour

Sunday 10 December 2023 11:11 , Andy Gregory

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall has been quizzed about Labour’s migration policies on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme.

Asked about the new £38,000 minimum salary threshold the government proposes for skilled workers, Ms Kendall refused to say what figure the Labour Party would set but said they had called for a raise in the previous limit of £18,600.

“It really does feel like the desperate dying days of this government. Labour understands it is a serious issue dealing with this,” she said.

“My concern is this endless merry-go-round of bills being put forward by the government means we’re not going to deal with an issue which is really important for the country.”

Analysis | And they’re off: Kemi Badenoch takes an early lead in the Tory leadership stakes

Sunday 10 December 2023 10:53 , Andy Gregory

In his latest column, our chief political commentator John Rentoul notes that there was not one but two articles by Conservative leadership candidates in the newspapers on Saturday. He writes:

Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, had an article in The Sun saying Brexit was a vote of confidence in the country. And Robert Jenrick, described by the online version of The Daily Telegraph as “immigration minister”, which was his job until Wednesday, has written a longer version of his resignation letter.

The collapse in Tory discipline has been so rapid that someone who is well connected to what he calls “the party in the shires” has mentioned Bob Hawke to me. This is code between us for a late change of leadership before an election, which is what the Australian Labor Party did in 1983. After the election was called, it ditched Bill Hayden, its uninspiring leader, and put Hawke in. He went on to win not just that election but three more.

That late switch was made in opposition, but it can be done in government. Anthony Eden went to the country immediately on taking office in April 1955, and in that election increased the Tory majority from 17 to 60. Boris Johnson is the only other recent example, managing to convince his opponents to give him the election he wanted three months after he became leader in 2019.

This time, the Conservatives changing leader yet again would look desperate and is likely only to make matters worse for the MPs who would have to make it happen. Even if, in the abstract, they thought that a fresh face might help to save a few seats, the process of making the change could only further damage the party’s reputation.

You can read his analysis in full here:

And they’re off: Kemi Badenoch leads in the Tory leadership stakes | John Rentoul

Watch: Rishi Sunak's Rwanda bill ‘doesn’t do the job’, says Robert Jenrick

Sunday 10 December 2023 10:44 , Andy Gregory

Labour steps up criticism of Israel and demands travel bans for violent West Bank settlers

Sunday 10 December 2023 10:35 , Andy Gregory

Labour has demanded that ministers impose travel bans on Israelis responsible for settler violence in the West Bank while criticising the “intolerable” death toll in Gaza, reports Sam Blewett.

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy urged the Government to provide greater assistance to humanitarian organisations supporting Palestinians.

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”.

Labour demands travel bans for perpetrators of settler violence in West Bank

Tory MPs plotting to remove Sunak ‘mad or malicious’, says One Nation leader

Sunday 10 December 2023 10:19 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

Damian Green, chair of the One Nation wing of Tory moderates, had a warning some of the right-wing rebels believed to have pounced on the Rwanda issue as a way to get rid of Rishi Sunak.

“Anyone who thinks that what the Conservative party or the country needs is a change of prime minister is either mad or malicious or both,” he told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

Mr Green added: “It is a very, very small number doing that [plotting to oust Mr Sunak] – a vanishing small number.”

Tory MPs planning ‘Advent of ‘s***’ for Sunak plotting Johnson-Farage ‘dream ticket’, report claims

Sunday 10 December 2023 10:10 , Andy Gregory

Dissatisfied Tory MPs are planning what they call “an Advent calendar of s***” for Rishi Sunak, and are still attempting to plot Boris Johnson’s return as prime minister – and are mulling a “dream ticket” leadership bid with Nigel Farage, according to the Mail on Sunday.

The paper claims to have spoken to multiple Tory MPs who believe “crashing” Mr Sunak’s government and bringing back the ex-PM is their only hope of surviving electoral oblivion – and that MPs have privately urged Mr Johnson and Mr Farage to talk.

One outlandish suggestion is that a former Johnson ally, such as Priti Patel, could be installed as a caretaker PM before he is parachuted back into No 10 via a safe seat, while the paper floats the idea that a deal could be struck with Mr Farage’s Reform party by handing him and its leader Richard Tice peerages and ministerial roles

One Red Wall MP reportedly said: “I came out early to say he had to go. But I think we have to think outside the box now. Whatever you feel about him, one thing no one can question is his effectiveness as a campaigner. And we need that now, we’re staring at obliteration.”

Jenrick claims on Rwanda bill ‘not correct’, says Michael Gove

Sunday 10 December 2023 10:02 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

Michael Gove has rejected Robert Jenrick’s claim that “everyone” crossing on a small boat will be able to make a claim even after the Rwanda bill.

“That’s not correct,” the levelling up secretary said on his former colleague’s claims on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

Mr Gove said: “The number of individual cases that can cited is very small … And also it makes it clear than ministers will make a decision on whether someone can be deported.”

Asked how many legal challenges will be made, Mr Gove used Rishi Sunak’s phase. “Vanishingly small,” he said. Mr Gove insisted that the bill “will deal effectively with the situation we face”.

I’m not interested in Tory leadership bid, claims Robert Jenrick

Sunday 10 December 2023 09:59 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

BBC host Laura Kuenssberg asked Robert Jenrick whether he wanted to be Tory leader if Rishi Sunak’s policy collapsed and he was ousted. He replied: “I’m not interested in that.”

The former immigration minister added: “I’m solely interested in this policy. I want the Conservative party to win the next general election. I want it to make good on its manifesto commitments. I think there’s a way to do that.”

Asked if the Tories can win the election, he said: “If we do not fix this challenge … then we will face the red-hot fury of the public.”

Migrant communities leading ‘parallel lives’, claims Robert Jenrick

Sunday 10 December 2023 09:56 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

Robert Jenrick said “mass, uncontrolled migration” was not compatible with community cohesion across the UK.

Asked on the BBC about his push to crack down on legal migration, Mr Jenrick said: “I think there are communities in our country where people are living parallel lives.”

He added: “It’s an obvious observation that a million people coming into our country a year is immensely challenging to successfully integrate. I’ve seen that with the [pro-Palestine] marches through London, where I saw some people who simply did not share British values.”

The former immigration minister said Brexit was the “great reform” which gave the government the “levers” to bring down net migration levels. “We must use them.”

Asked when he “suddenly” become zealous about this issue, Mr Jenrick said: “Oh, I’ve always cared about this.”

Sunak is ‘not going to lose’ Rwanda Commons vote, says Labour frontbencher

Sunday 10 December 2023 09:43 , Andy Gregory

Rishi Sunak is “not going to lose” this week’s Commons vote on his Rwanda legislation and “will get through quite comfortably”, a Labour frontbencher has claimed.

“Because why would a Tory MP signal such a lack of confidence in their prime minister?” asked Liz Kendall. “They don’t want an election because they’re worried they’ll lose their seat.

“He’ll get this through, comfortably.”

Tories have ‘caught up’ with Labour on immigration crackdown, claims Starmer frontbencher

Sunday 10 December 2023 09:39 , Andy Gregory

Shadow work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall has said she is glad the Tories have “caught up” with Labour’s immigration plans, after home secretary James Cleverly outlined plans to raise the salary threshold for skilled workers to £38,000 this week.

Asked whether Labour would keep Tory plans to cut legal migration, Ms Kendall said: “I think the fundamental flaw with the government’s approach is they haven’t dealt with the key issue of skill shortages in this country.”

Pressed again on the question, the frontbencher added: “We have been calling for some while for the salary threshold to be increased, and to get rid of the 20 per cent [salary] discount they have had.”

Asked once again whether Labour would keep the measures, she said: “Seeing as we have been calling for the government to remove that discount and raise the salary threshold, I’m glad they have finally caught up.”

Sunak made choice to produce Rwanda bill which ‘doesn’t do the job’, says Robert Jenrick

Sunday 10 December 2023 09:33 , Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent

Robert Jenrick – who quit as immigration minister this week – has offered a scathing critique of the Rwanda bill, saying it “doesn’t do the job”.

He told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. “I won’t be supporting this bill … I determined that we can persuade the government and colleagues in parliament that there is a better way.”

“I don’t believe this bill will work,” Mr Jenrick said. “I think a political choice was made to bring forward a bill which doesn’t do the job.”

The senior Tory added: “Absolutely everyone who comes across in a small boat will put in a legal claim.”

“The test for this is not, can you get one or two symbolic flights off before the next election with a handful of illegal migrants on them, it’s can you create a strong deterrent that is sustainable and stops the boats.”