Rwanda bill - live: Sunak begs for support hours before vote as asylum seeker dies on Bibby Stockholm

Rishi Sunak has publicly pleaded with MPs to back his Rwanda bill just hours before the key vote on Tuesday evening.

The bid for his latest plan to “stop the boats” comes as it was confirmed that an asylum seeker died on the Bibby Stockholm barge, the accommodation used by the government to house migrants.

The prime minister hosted an emergency breakfast in Downing Street on Tuesday morning with potential Tory rebels to convince them to support the bill which will see asylum seekers flown to Rwanda.

“Today MPs will vote on the toughest ever anti-illegal immigration legislation,” he said in a post on social media site X.

“This Bill will allow us to control who comes into this country – not criminal gangs or foreign courts. To stop the boats, we need to back this Bill.”

However, the New Conservative group of backbenchers said the bill needs “major surgery or replacement” following a meeting on monday night, ahead of the highly-anticipated vote on Tuesday evening

Mark Francois, chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), also told Mr Sunak there was a “consensus” among right-wing Tory MPs that he should “pull” the Rwanda bill.

Key Points

• Sunak to host emergency breakfast in desperate bid to persuade Tory MPs ahead of key vote

• Rishi Sunak should ‘pull the bill’ now, say Tory right-wingers

• Sunak in crisis as Tory right-wing rebels’ ‘star chamber’ rejects his Rwanda bill

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

Rwanda Bill is ‘inoperable and ineffective’ without amendments, says Tory MP

17:20 , Tara Cobham

The Rwanda Bill is “inoperable and ineffective” without amendments, a Conservative MP has said.

Speaking in the Commons, deputy ERG chairman David Jones said: “I believe that this Bill does require amendments and what I’m inviting my honourable friend the minister to say when he winds up this evening is that the Government is open to amendments.”

The MP for Clwyd West added: “At the moment, there are numerous deficiencies that have been identified in the report of the so-called star chamber that will, I believe, render this Bill inoperable and ineffective.

“The last thing we want to do as a House is to expend a lot of time and a lot of agony over putting in place a Bill that doesn’t result in the flights to Rwanda and the deterrence that we need to illegal migrants.

“I do hope that my honourable friend will respond positively to this suggestion when he winds up, I know there’s a lot of colleagues (who) are going to listen very carefully to what he’s got to say, and I think that they will welcome what may well be regarded as a change of tone on the part of the Government.”

Labour MP Stella Creasy (Walthamstow) accused the Government of taking a “Vicky Pollard approach to making legislation”.

She added: “You cannot amend yourself out of this challenge without one side of Tweedledum and one side of Tweedledee arguing any more, this is a mess.”

In pictures: Crunch debate on Rwanda Bill underway in Commons

17:00 , Tara Cobham

Kruger urges Government to ‘pull’ Bill as he says he cannot support it

16:42 , Tara Cobham

Conservative MP Danny Kruger (Devizes) told the Commons: “I regret we’ve got an unsatisfactory Bill, I can’t undertake to support it tonight, I hope the Government would agree to pull the Bill and allow us to work with them and colleagues across the House to produce a better Bill – one that respects parliamentary sovereignty and also satisfies the very legitimate concerns of colleagues about vulnerable individuals.

“I think we can do better on safe and legal routes, for instance. We should be working together with other countries to design a system that respects the sovereignty of Parliament and the legitimate rule of independent nations.”

Mr Kruger earlier said he is not calling for the UK “at this stage” to depart from the European Convention on Human Rights, adding: “If the European Court were to disagree with the actions of the Government and they issued a substantive ruling to that effect, then we begin a process of conversation with them about that and we decide how exactly we might comply or, if we have to, depart.”

Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke (Dover) said she believes the Bill “in its current form” will not change the Supreme Court view that Rwanda is not acceptable.

Sunak willing to listen to MPs’ suggestions regarding Bill after vote, suggests No 10

16:20 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak is willing to listen to suggestions put forward by MPs regarding the Safety of Rwanda Bill after Tuesday evening’s second reading vote, No 10 has suggested.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the UK Government needed to be “mindful” of the Rwandan government collapsing the asylum seeker scheme if it became uncomfortable with the Bill’s direction, following calls from right-wing Conservative MPs for the legislation to be tightened.

Asked whether the current Bill is at the limits of what Kigali would accept, Mr Sunak’s spokesman said: “The Rwandan government’s position is in relation to the international law elements.

“There are other aspects of the Bill that don’t relate purely to that, so I’m not going to rule out considering any further suggestions that MPs may make or have made.

“Those conversations are ongoing.”

He said the Government’s focus was on ensuring the Bill passed a vote in the Commons on Tuesday.

‘Government deserve credit for trying to deliver promises on boats,’ says Burns on supporting Bill

16:13 , Tara Cobham

Conservative former minister Sir Conor Burns told the Commons: “I will support the Government today because I think the Government deserve credit for attempting to try and deliver their promises to the British people on the boats.

“We are seeing far too many people coming in here without the necessary checks who are then doing things in this country that are deeply unwelcome.”

He cited the killing of one of his constituents by an asylum seeker, and having argued that both parties have pledged to address the issue of illegal immigration, said: “We have got to be straight with the British people, if we say we are going to do something we have got to do it, and we’ve got to try every means at our disposal to deliver directly for the British people.”

Conservative former home secretary Dame Priti Patel told the Commons: “There have been measures that have passed through this House, including the Nationality and Borders Act where measures have not been implemented … which actually would save the courts a lot of time and effort.”

She added: “It’s really important ,… that we press upon on the Government now to go backwards to go forwards, to bring in these measures that have been passed through Acts of Parliament already and, dare I say it, there may be some in the legislation that’s come since.”

Chris Bryant lays bare five reasons to vote against Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan

16:10 , Tara Cobham

Sir Chris Bryant laid out five reasons he believed were why MPs should vote against Rishi Sunak‘s Rwanda bill during a debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday, 11 December.

The Labour MP for Rhondda described the emergency legislation as “laughable” and said it “seeks to reverse a finding of fact by the highest court in the land.”

The prime minister published new planned legislation, entitled the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which would deem Rwanda safe in British law after the original bill was struck down as unlawful by the Supreme Court.

A vote on the bill was scheduled for 7pm on Tuesday.

Holly Patrick reports:

Chris Bryant lays bare five reasons to vote against Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan

Buckland says he would withdraw support for Bill in future if it is amended

16:06 , Tara Cobham

Sir Robert Buckland said he would withdraw support for the Bill in future if it is amended to invite “courts to come on up if you are hard enough”.

The Tory former justice secretary told the Commons: “The principle of comity is one that we can ill afford to overlook. What do I mean by that? Well, I mean that mutual respect that has to exist between the different arms of the constitution. This place is sovereign, we derive our sovereignty from the people, but we also have a responsibility to use that in a responsible way.”

Sir Robert added: “I am the first one, the first person, to assert the authority of this place. But what I won’t do, what I won’t be a party to, is legislation that in effect invites the courts to come on up if you are hard enough. That is not the approach that we as responsible Conservatives should take.”

He went on: “If this Bill is to be amended in a way that crosses that line, then I cannot support that, and I will not support that.”

Labour former minister Sir Chris Bryant, meanwhile, claimed the Bill “creates a legal fiction”.

He said: “According to the Bill, Rwanda is safe even if it isn’t safe simply because the Government, through the Bill, says it is safe. But declaring somewhere safe doesn’t make it of itself safe. You can no more change reality by law or legal dictate than you can by mere imagination.”

Sir Bob Neill says he would vote for Bill but not support in future if changes from Tory right accepted

15:53 , Tara Cobham

Sir Bob Neill, the Conservative chairman of the Commons’ justice committee, said he would vote for the Bill, but would not support it in future if changes from the Tory right were accepted.

Bromley and Chislehurst MP Sir Bob told MPs: “After a good deal of hesitation I shall support this Bill tonight, but it is a hesitation that has been real, because for me it goes as close to the wind as one can constitutionally do.”

He added: “It is a novel and unusual approach. We are dealing with an unusual and pressing situation. Therefore, I think straining of the sinews of what is acceptable can just be justified, but equally the idea that legislation is the sole or even the principal solution to this is, I think, wrong.”

Sir Bob went on: “If it were to change and any of the safeguards that have been left in to be removed, then my support would go, because some people would then have pushed it over the line into the unacceptable and, in my judgment, the unconservative, and then I would not support it.

“I don’t believe that is the Government’s intention, so I will help them to get the Bill through tonight, but they must be wary of some who do not have the best of objectives towards the Government’s policy who might take it in the wrong direction. Let’s not get there.”

Later, as Labour former minister Sir Chris Bryant mentioned amendments by Tory grandee Sir Bill Cash as the source of Sir Bob’s concerns, he could be seen nodding in agreement.

Watch: Chris Bryant lays bare five reasons to vote against Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan

15:36 , Tara Cobham

Yvette Cooper likens Rishi Sunak to a Christmas turkey during debate

15:27 , Tara Cobham

Yvette Cooper took a Christmas-themed jab at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today in the House of Commons (12 December).

The Shadow Home Secretary was speaking during the debate on the Rwanda bill when she called Mr Sunak weak in regards to his immigration plan.

She then likened him to a Christmas turkey, prompting laughs from those around her.

“He’s hoping his party is going to calm down over Christmas... but they all know who the Christmas turkey is and he’s sitting in Number 10,” taunted the Labour MP.

Rhys Jones reports:

Yvette Cooper likens Rishi Sunak to a Christmas turkey during debate

Bill would ‘collapse’ if right of individuals to access court removed, advises Cox

15:20 , Tara Cobham

Conservative former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox has advised colleagues that the Bill would “collapse” if they removed the right of individuals to access a court.

Sir Geoffrey told the Commons: “This Bill carefully preserves the right of individuals to come to court in extreme cases of individual justice.”

He added: “We cannot sacrifice the principle of access to a court. If we eliminate it entirely, not only would this Bill collapse because it will be interminably impeded in the House of Lords, it will probably lead to the Rwandan government withdrawing and it’s conceivable the courts themselves may entertain for the first time a complex challenge of the right of this Parliament to do away with fundamental constitutional principles, such as access to a court.”

Sir Geoffrey added to colleagues: “I understand the frustration and the deep and intense dissatisfaction at the current situation, I share it, I think there are tightenings that we can do, particularly on rule 39.

“But on the preservation of the right to go to court in an extreme case, I say that is part of the British constitution that our fathers and our party has supported, and fought for for generations, and it’d be wrong for us to compromise on it.”

Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash (Stone) earlier said: “We want the Government to succeed in its legislation but it has to be legislation that works.”

Sir Bill said there is a need to have a debate about the relationship between international law and parliamentary sovereignty.

Jenrick suggests he resigned due to concerns over responsibility to ‘protect our borders’

15:13 , Tara Cobham

Robert Jenrick claimed it was a difficult decision to resign as immigration minister, and suggested it was his concerns over the responsibility to “protect our borders” which made him act.

As he began his first Commons speech since resigning from the Government, the Tory former minister said: “The decision to leave office is always a difficult one. The decision to disagree with the Prime Minister, someone who I want to support in good times and bad, is always a difficult one.

“But politicians are sent here to make difficult decisions. No one is forced to be a minister, and with high office comes responsibility – and no responsibility is greater than that to protect our borders and to secure us from untold damage as a result of mass illegal migration.”

He said the Government had made “huge progress as a country over the last year” on tackling mass migration, adding: “The plan that the Prime Minister set out a year ago is working. It is the most comprehensive plan of any European country and we just heard from the Opposition that they have no plan at all.

“They said that even if the Rwanda scheme was working, even if it was having the deterrent effect that we all want, they would still scrap it, because ultimately they don’t believe in border security and they cannot be trusted to protect our brooders.

“But this problem isn’t going away, this is going to be one of the defining issues of the 21st century. There are millions of people on the move.”

Suspended Tory MP Peter Bone is back in parliament

15:01 , Tara Cobham

Peter Bone, who lost the Tory whip and was banned from parliament for six weeks for indecently exposing himself to a staffer, has come to parliament for the second reading of the Rwanda bill.

As Rishi Sunak launched a desperate push to get his emergency legislation over the line and save his premiership, Mr Bone was spotted driving into the parliamentary estate.

He has not had the Tory whip restored since the parliamentary commissioner for standards upheld five allegations of bullying and one of sexual misconduct.

Mr Sunak needs every vote he can get to ensure the bill has enough support.

Former immigration minister Jenrick to vote against bill – unless government agrees to amend it

15:00 , Kate Devlin, Politics and Whitehall Editor

Rebel Tory are watching closely to see how former immigration minister Robert Jenrick votes tonight.

He quit over the Rwanda bill last week, warning it would not work.

I understand he plans to vote against the bill unless the government commits to amending it.

In the Commons earlier he told MPs: "This bill could be so much better, let's make it better. Let's make it work."

Small boat arrivals will rise ‘for many years to come’ without Rwanda plan, says Jenrick

14:56 , Tara Cobham

The number of small boat arrivals in the UK will rise “for many years to come” unless the Rwanda plan is properly carried out, Robert Jenrick told the Commons.

The former immigration minister described the argument among his colleagues on the Tory benches over the plan as a “good faith disagreement”.

He added: “There are good people on both sides of this House and certainly within my party who have disagreements about how we can make this policy work.

“But my point of view is this, when untold damage is being done to our country, when this issue will be with us for years if not decades to come, where if we do not operationalise this policy correctly, we will see the numbers rise, and we will see them rise for many years to come.

“If, God forbid, there was a Labour government, there would be a decade of small boat arrivals. I want to stop that.”

Rebels warned of ‘consequences’ if they vote against Rishi Sunak’s plan

14:51 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

Tory rebels have been warned not to vote against Rishi Sunak’s deal or there will be “consequences”, it has emerged.

Those considering opposing the PM’s plan could lose the Conservative Party whip, The Sun’s political editor Harry Cole reported.

Watch: Cleverly promises investigation after asylum seeker dies on Bibby Stockholm

14:51 , Tara Cobham

Jenrick: ‘The test of this policy is, “Will it work?”'

14:49 , Tara Cobham

Conservative former immigration minister Robert Jenrick told the Commons: “This is not a bad Bill but it is not the best Bill. I want this Bill to work.

“The test of this policy is not ‘is it the strongest Bill we’ve done?’, it’s not ‘is it a good compromise?’, it’s ‘will it work?’.

“That is all the public care about. They don’t care about Rwanda as a scheme, they care about stopping the boats. And we are sent here to do that for them.

“I will never elevate contested notions of international law over the interests of my constituents, over vital national interests like national security, like border security.

“This Bill could be so much better, let’s make it better. Let’s make it work.”

Cleverly promises investigation after asylum seeker dies on Bibby Stockholm

14:44 , Tara Cobham

James Cleverly said that the death of an asylum seeker on board the Bibby Stockholm barge will be investigated fully.

The home secretary told MPs in the House of Commons: “Tragically, there has been (a) death on the Bibby Stockholm barge. I’m sure that the thoughts of the whole House, like mine, are with those affected.

“The House will understand that at this stage I am uncomfortable getting into any more details. But we will of course investigate fully.”

Dorset Police said they received a report of a sudden death of a resident on the Bibby Stockholm at 6:22am.

Rhys Jones reports:

Cleverly promises investigation after asylum seeker dies on Bibby Stockholm

Government has ‘become a people trafficker’, says SNP’s home affairs spokesperson

14:42 , Tara Cobham

The Government has in itself become a people trafficker as a result of the Rwanda policy, the SNP’s home affairs spokesperson told the Commons.

Speaking from the SNP front bench, Alison Thewliss said: “If we start to offload our international responsibilities to any third country, we’re effectively surrendering our influence over what then happens next.

“This Government themselves have become people traffickers, sending human beings offshore against their will as if they were some kind of waste to be processed rather than human beings alike in dignity.”

The MP for Glasgow Central also called for the introduction of humanitarian travel documents.

She added: “If a humanitarian travel document existed, those same young people could avoid the perilous journey in a leaky rubber dingy, they could get the same train or ferry as many travellers do every year, they would not need to pay people smugglers at all. That would kill the business model.”

Watch: ‘It will take 100 years to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda’, Yvette Cooper says

14:31 , Tara Cobham

Jenrick claims it is ‘critical’ to get Rwanda deal up and running

14:23 , Tara Cobham

Robert Jenrick claimed it was “critical” to get the Rwanda deal up and running.

As he spoke about mass migration over the next century, he told MPs: “Some fleeing climate change and persecution, others economic migrants understandably in search of a better life, and it is a great compliment to our country that so many want to come here, but it isn’t sustainable.

“We have to secure our borders and that means that all the good work that we have done over the course of the last year, the Albania deal, the asylum backlog work, the deals with Bulgaria and France and Italy and others, that isn’t enough.

“We are not going to stop the boats purely on that work. You have to interject the strongest possible deterrent and the best deterrent, the only deterrent that we can use in the course of the next 12 months is the Rwanda deal.

“That is why it is so critical that we get that up and running.”

He later claimed one of the “big flaws” with the Bill as it exists is “that it doesn’t address the question of individual claims”.

Watch: Yvette Cooper claims failed asylum seekers are not allowed to return home

14:13 , Tara Cobham

UK climate minister goes ‘Awol’ from critical stage in Cop28 talks to vote on Rwanda bill

14:08 , Tara Cobham

The UK climate minister has left the Cop28 conference in Dubai during the critical last stage negotiations to vote on the Government’s Rwanda Bill, Downing Street has confirmed.

Graham Stuart will arrive back in the UK to vote on what is seen as a crucial test of Rishi Sunak’s leadership as Prime Minister.

As many as 40 Tory MPs are believed to be prepared to abstain or vote against the Bill, arguing that it does not go far enough in preventing people from stopping themselves being deported through legal action.

Danny Halpin reports:

UK climate minister ‘Awol’ from critical stage in Cop28 talks

Tory rebels still weighing up whether to vote against or abstain on Rwanda bill

14:07 , Kate Devlin, Politics and Whitehall Editor

With just hours to go before the key Commons showdown on Rwanda, Tory rebels are still weighing up whether to vote against or abstain on Rishi Sunak’s plan.

Abstaining increases the chance that the PM’s ‘emergency legislation’ lives to fight another day – or, at least, until the next Commons vote in the new year.

Why would those who oppose the legislation allow it to continue its passage through the Commons?

The key is at the next stage it could theoretically be amended.

Some opponents of the current plan believe it will never stop the boats.

Other are tempted to allow it to proceed to the next stage to see if it could be made stronger.

Groups on the right of the party are meeting to discuss the issue at 5pm today.

There is pressure from some MPs for the groups to decide on an agreed line – and to vote in unison – as a show of power to the prime minister.

Sunak too ‘weak’ to defend his own plan, says Labour

13:53 , Tara Cobham

Rishi Sunak is hiding behind the Rwandan government and is too “weak” to defend his own plan, Labour has said.

Speaking in the Commons, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said of Mr Sunak’s meeting with backbenchers on Tuesday morning: “The Prime Minister forced into an emergency breakfast meeting this morning, less a smoked salmon offensive, and more buttering them up with butties and bacon and a side of briefing and backstabbing.

“Promising them amendments and then rowing back, telling them he really wants to break international law but the Rwandan government won’t let him, hiding behind the Kigali administration because he is too weak to even defend his plan.

“Weak, weak, weak. The Prime Minister says his patience is wearing thin, well how do they think the country feels.”

Sunak attempts to persuade rebels to back Rwanda bill over bacon sarnies in No 10

13:49 , Kate Devlin, Politics and Whitehall Editor

Rishi Sunak attempted to persuade rebels to back his controversial Rwanda bill over bacon sarnies in No 10 this morning.

The prime minister went around the room allowing every one of the 20 or so Tory MPs in the room around a minute or so to make their case, sources said.

They also said he was confronted by one backbencher who challenged him that he had reached out to the government numerous times to discuss the issue - and heard nothing back.

Also understood to have been at the meeting was outspoken Tory MP Lee Anderson, who has long been a hardliner on the issue of small boats.

He might ordinarily have been expected to be part of the rebel group – but as he is now a deputy chairman of the Tory party he was on the PM’s side, which has caused anger among some.

One said: “It is for Lee to have to answer for all the things he had said in media. But (supporting the bill) is an odd place for him to be in.”

Cleverly says Rwanda should ‘get our thanks and admiration'

13:41 , Tara Cobham

James Cleverly said Rwanda should “get our thanks and admiration”.

Speaking about the Bill, the Home Secretary told the Commons: “This is how we will overcome the intolerable pressure on taxpayers, on public services, and on local communities that illegal immigration creates.”

He added: “Rwanda stands ready, stands ready to welcome those new arrivals. They stand ready, they stand ready, to find a solution, to work with us to find a solution, on this global issue, rather than being part of a problem.

“And for that, I believe they should get our thanks and admiration. This is an innovative and humane solution to a growing global problem.”

British people expect MPs to ‘stop the boats’, Home Secretary tells Commons

13:34 , Tara Cobham

The British people expect MPs to “stop the boats” and “that is what voting for this legislation means”, Home Secretary James Cleverly told the Commons.

He said: “I want to extend an offer to the whole House. Colleagues across this House must know how much this matters to our constituents.

“Our voters, for whatever party they vote for, are warm and welcoming people to those in genuine need.”

He added: “But the British people rightly expect everyone to play by the rules, and they expect us in this House to do what it takes to stop the boats.

“That is what voting for this legislation means. Our voters are horrified when they see images of people drowning in the Channel. They are horrified when they see those people smugglers taking advantage of people, they want an end to illegal migration.

“This Government has a plan that will provide an alternative home for illegal arrivals to the UK and to deter others from coming here illegally.”

Yvette Cooper: ‘It will take 100 years to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda’

13:32 , Tara Cobham

Yvette Cooper has said it would take 100 years to send the number of asylum seekers to Rwanda who will have arrived in the UK by the time flights get off the ground.

Highlighting Rishi Sunak’s target to get deportation flights in the sky by July, she said more than 15,000 people would have crossed the channel in small boats by then.

“So if Rwanda is only going to take a hundred people a year, it’s going to take over 100 years to send the 15,000 people who have arrived since they passed the law,” Ms Cooper said. “It’ll take them 10 years to send everyone who’s arrived in the last fortnight alone,” she said.

Yvette Cooper: Afghan heroes being sent to Rwanda… while criminals get sent back here

13:28 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

Yvette Cooper has highlighted a provision in Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan that could see deported asylum seekers sent back to Britain if they commit crimes in the east African nation.

The shadow home secretary said it sets up a situation where trafficking and torture victims and Afghans who fought with the British army and are fleeing the Taliban being deported from the UK.

“But convicted criminals can be sent back here,” Ms Cooper said.

“The law before us is a total mess,” the shadow home secretary.

Disapplying parts of HRA is ‘lawful, fair and necessary’, says Cleverly

13:25 , Tara Cobham

Disapplying parts of the Human Rights Act is lawful, fair and necessary, Home Secretary James Cleverly, said, adding that changes of a removal being blocked are “extremely small”.

He said: “In order to further prevent individual claims to prevent removal, the Bill dis-applies certain relevant provisions from the Humans Rights Act 1998, in particular circumstances.”

He added: “This is lawful. This is fair. This is necessary.”

He told MPs: “The only possible blocking of removal is if an individual can demonstrate with compelling evidence that there is an immediate risk to serious and irreversible harm to them in particular under their individual circumstances.

“This sets the bar, rightly, very high, so that the chances of that happening are, rightly, extremely small.”

Failed asylum seekers not allowed to return home, Yvette Cooper

13:24 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

Yvette Cooper has said failed asylum seekers are being kept in the UK because the Home Office will not let them return to their own countries.

The shadow home secretary was told by Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran about a constituent who has been stuck in Britain for a year.

“He has exhausted his leave to remain and wants to go back to Fiji,” Ms Moran said. But he has been unable to because the Home Office cannot process his case.

Ms Cooper said she has heard “a series” of similar cases.

“The Home Office is so incapable of getting a grip… that you've got somebody waiting for 12 months even to be able to return to their home country,” Ms Cooper said.

Home Secretary does not say whether new Bill will allow ministers to ignore ECHR orders

13:19 , Tara Cobham

The Home Secretary would not say whether the new Bill would allow ministers to ignore orders from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) aimed at grounding deportation flights to Rwanda.

Past attempts to deport people to Rwanda have been stopped by interim orders from the Strasbourg Court.

In the Commons, Conservative former minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “On that point on foreign courts, 5.2 of the Bill says that it is for a minister of the Crown to decide whether the United Kingdom will comply with the interim measure.

“Is the advice from the Attorney General (AG) that it will be compatible with international law for a minister to refuse to comply with such an indication?”

James Cleverly replied: “He… will know that advice from the AG to Government is privileged and I am not going to be sharing it at the despatch box, but he will also know that the Government’s position is clear and unambiguous that this is in accordance with international law.

“So he can rest assured on that.”

Senior Tory MP: 'My colleagues need to be careful what they wish for'

13:15 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

A senior Tory MP from the One Nation caucus has warned his colleagues plotting to vote against Rishi Sunak's Rwanda bill to "be careful what they wish for".

John Baron said to James Cleverly in the Commons: “Can he confirm the government will take all steps to make sure we will remain within international law going forward.

“In which case, I will certainly be supporting the bill tonight.

“But does he also agree with me that some colleagues in this place need to be careful what they wish for?”

UK climate minister leaves Cop28 summit as talks reach critical point: ‘A slap in the face’

13:14 , Tara Cobham

The UK climate minister Graham Stuart has left the Cop28 climate negotiations at a critical moment to return to parliament for a crunch vote on the government’s controversial plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Mr Stuart was the ministerial head of delegation at the Dubai summit, where nations are in a stand off over the future of fossil fuels. Climate groups called the decision a “slap in the face” as countries try and agree a final deal.

Richard Benyon, the Minister of State for Overseas Territories, has taken over as lead negotiator in the talks, a representative at the UK delegation offices inside the Dubai Expo venue told The Independent.

Louise Boyle reports:

UK climate minister leaves Cop28 summit as talks reach critical point

Yvette Cooper: ‘Rishi Sunak is a Christmas turkey’

13:13 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

Yvette Cooper has poured cold water on Rishi Sunak’s hopes that the Conservative Party will calm down over Christmas.

“He's hoping his party's gonna calm down over Christmas, but they all know who the Christmas turkey is and he's sitting in No10,” the shadow home secretary said.

Keir Starmer attacks Tories for behaving like Donald Trump: ‘It’s all woke, woke, woke’

13:11 , Tara Cobham

Sir Keir Starmer has lashed out at Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives, claiming they behave like Donald Trump.

The Labour leader launched a blistering attack on the Tories to mark the fourth anniversary of his own party’s electoral wipeout under Jeremy Corbyn.

In a pitch to disaffected Conservative voters, he laid out the “complete overhaul” Labour has undergone since 2019. And he said the Tories under Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak have “moved in the opposite direction”.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Keir Starmer attacks Tories for behaving like Donald Trump

Robert Buckland: ‘We have to bear independence of courts and rule of law in mind’

13:10 , Archie Mitchell, Political Correspondent

Sir Robert Buckland has warned James Cleverly that the government’s Rwanda bill “tests comity to breaking point”.

Comity between Parliament and the courts means that each takes care not to intrude on the other's territory, or to undermine the other

The former justice secretary said the government must “bear in mind” the independence of courts and the rule of law.

Sir Robert told Mr Cleverly: “Is there not a danger that in pursuing quite stringent measures in this bill, that we are really testing the principle of comity to breaking point?

“This house, this parliament is sovereign, but we also have the independence of the courts and the rule of law to bear in mind.

“Restraint on both sides, by the judiciary and by this place, is essential if we are to maintain the balance of our constitution.”

Cleverly claims public backs the plan

13:01 , Athena Stavrou

Home Secretary James Cleverly said that the British people “support the Rwanda plan” during the Commons debate.

He said that while the Government “respects court judgments”, Parliament and the British people “want to end illegal immigration and they support the Rwanda plan”.

He said: “In recent years, some of the Government’s efforts to tackle illegal migration and deport foreign national offenders have been frustrated by a seemingly endless cycle of legal challenges and rulings from domestic and foreign courts.

“Of course… this Government respects court judgments, even when we disagree with them, but Parliament and the British people want an end to illegal immigration and they support the Rwanda plan.”

Commons debate on Rwanda bill begins

12:49 , Athena Stavrou

The Home Secretary James Cleverly has opened the Commons debate on the Rwanda bill, which will designate Rwanda as a safe country for asylum seekers.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he has selected Labour’s amendment, which seeks to decline giving the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill a second reading, for debate.

Votes are expected from 7pm.

You can watch The Independent’s live stream of the debate here:

Hague warns Tories may never return to power

12:35 , Athena Stavrou

Lord William Hague has warned that the Conservatives “could be out of power forever” if they do not unite ahead the Rwanda vote tonight.

Speaking to Times Radio, the former Tory leader said that MPs “picking holes” in Rishi Sunak’s plan “have only got opposition to look forward to”.

He added that the potential rebels are making it difficult for making it “impossible to run a government” for yet another Conservative leader.

“There is no guarantee of coming back. I am not predicting that because I want Rishi Sunak to win his vote, to keep doing well over the coming year, to win an election,” he said. “I am not predicting that will happen, I am just saying it can happen.”

He added: “If they keep behaving like that they have only got opposition to look forward to.

“That is what they are heading for if they make it difficult or impossible to run the Government for yet another Conservative prime minister.

“I think they need to be warned about that. Having said that the vast majority of the Conservative MPs will vote for the legislation even if they have some doubts about it, they are very supportive of Rishi Sunak.”

Climate minister abandons Cop28 for Rwanda vote

12:20 , Athena Stavrou

Climate change minister Graham Stuart has left the Cop28 summit to attend the vote on Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill tonight.

Number 10 confirmed that Mr Stuart had returned to parliament for the second reading of the Safety of Rwanda Bill before returning to the global summit in Dubai

Asked about the carbon emissions from the flights, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “This Government is not anti-flying. We don’t lecture the public to that regard. The most important thing is the outcomes of Cop, which Minister Stuart is obviously leading for the UK on.

“Ministers have a number of roles, the negotiations continue and he will return to Cop.”

Downing Street releases statement ahead of key vote

12:15 , Athena Stavrou

Downing Street has released a statement ahead of the highly-anticipated vote tonight on Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill.

The prime minister is urging MPs to back his flagship Bill as it goes through its second reading.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister and other ministers will continue to engage with colleagues as is normal. Obviously, we will listen carefully to constructive comments.”

Asked if it was Mr Sunak’s position the Bill cannot be stronger, he said: “We are willing to listen to constructive comments from colleagues. We believe this is a tough piece of legislation which will achieve its objectives and the public’s objectives of stopping the boats.

“And we’ve been very clear on the parameters under which we need to operate as have the Rwandan government.”

Tory rebels to hold a joint meeting tonight

11:58 , Kate Devlin

Tory rebels are due to hold a joint meeting tonight on the crunch Rwanda vote,The Independent’s Political Editor Kate Devlin reports.

Members of the so-called “five families” of Tory MPs on the right of the party are expected to attend.

It comes as many try to decide whether to abstain on the PM’s flagship plan to save his deportation deal- or the more nuclear option of voting against it.

The prime minister faces defeat if 57 Tories abstain or 29 vote against the “emergency legislation” on its second reading.

Keir Starmer: ‘It’ll go through tonight… I do not doubt’

11:51 , Archie Mitchell

Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not doubt that Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill will be voted through tonight.

We should not give him the indulgence of pretending it is going to be tight and that he has done a brilliant job to get it over the line,” the Labour leader added.

He pointed to Mr Sunak’s huge majority in parliament and said “we should not even be having a discussion about whether he is going to get basic legislation through”.

Sir Keir said: “I don’t doubt there will be a lot of shouting and screaming, but in the end, it’ll go through.”

Asked whether there should be a general election if the prime minister fails to pass the bill, Sir Keir said “of course”.“I think there should be a general election as soon as possible,” he added.

Tory rebels increasingly believe Sunak could win Rwanda vote

11:46 , Kate Devlin

Tory rebels are increasingly believing Rishi Sunak will win tonight’s vote on his Rwanda plan, The Independent’s Political Editor Kate Devlin reports.

The prime minister held a breakfast meeting in No 10 with Tory MPs in a bid to reduce the size of tonight’s revolt.

One backbencher who attended said he expected the government would win tonight’s vote.

“I can’t see the government losing tonight,” he said.

Some rebels are also unhappy saying the PM told them he was willing to “tighten the bill” but did not clarify what that meant - or whether that would include amendments to the legislation, one of their key asks.

Breaking: Asylum seeker dies on the Bibby Stockholm barge

11:19 , Athena Stavrou

An asylum seeker has died on the Bibby Stockholm barge, the accommodation by the government used to house migrants.

A few hundred asylum seekers are now living on the barge at Portland port, Dorset and refugee charity Care4Calais confirmed the news of the death.

CEO Steve Smith added: “Our thoughts are with the person who has lost their life, their family and their friends. It is also with all those stuck on board the Bibby Stockholm who will be experiencing a deep feeling of grief and worry today.”

The news comes hours before the parliamentary vote on Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill, which will see asylum seekers moved to Rwanda if it is not rejected.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith says government needs to ‘change their tone’

11:14 , Athena Stavrou

Sir Ian Duncan Smith said that the government needs to “change their tone” and stop lecturing people over the Rwanda bill.

The ex-Tory leader told journalists at the Daily Telegraph that the government’s approach to winning MPs over is “doesn’t help” as this evening’s vote approached.

He said: “People are frustrated and angry, no question…The trouble is they’re out lecturing at the moment, the Government, and that doesn’t help…I would change their tone.”

Live: Keir Starmer speaks to media ahead of Government's Rwanda vote

11:03 , Athena Stavrou

Sir Keir Starmer is making a speech in Silverstone today to make the four year anniversary of the 2019 election.

Watch live here:

Sunak pleads with MPs to back Rwanda bill hours before vote

10:51 , Athena Stavrou

Rishi Sunak publicly pleaded with MPs to back his Rwanda legislation on Tuesday.

The prime minister has spent several days trying to quell internal Tory rebellions against the bill ahead of the highly-anticipated vote tonight.

“Today MPs will vote on the toughest ever anti-illegal immigration legislation,” the Prime Minister said in a post on social media site X.

“This Bill will allow us to control who comes into this country – not criminal gangs or foreign courts.

“To stop the boats, we need to back this Bill.”

Starmer making speech on 2019 election anniversary

10:45 , Athena Stavrou

Sir Keir Starmer is currently making a keynote speech to mark the fourth anniversary of the 2019 election.

During the Labour leader’s speech in Milton Keynes, he accused the government of “fighting like rats in a sack” ahead of the highly-anticipated vote on Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill this evening.

Earlier today, Mr Starmer dismissed the Rwanda plan as a “gimmick” and piece of political “performance art”.

Potential rebels seeking more advice on 'legal technicalities’

10:39 , Athena Stavrou

MPs who attended Rishi Sunak’s breakfast meeting in No 10 are yet to reveal whether they have been swayed to vote for his Rwanda bill.

Around 20 members of the New Conservatives attended the event with Mr Sunak after the grouping said his Rwanda bill “needs major surgery or replacement”.

Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis attended the breakfast and told Talk TV he’s yet to decide on how he will vote.

He added that he wants to get more advice on “legal technicalities” before the final decision is made this evening.

What happens if Rishi Sunak’s loses Rwanda vote?

10:25 , Athena Stavrou

If Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill is rejected, it will no doubt plunge his premiership into turmoil.

“Stop the boats” was one of the prime minister’s five key pledges to the nation and has now taken up the most political capital.

After his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was struck down as unlawful by the Supreme Court, MPs will vote tonight on Mr Sunak’s new planned legislation, entitled the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which would deem Rwanda safe in British law.

If the bill was rejected, the PM’s ability to govern would be shot and it is likely he could either quit, contest a Tory leadership challenge or go to the country by calling a general election.

Pictures: Ministers enter Downing Street ahead of vote this evening

10:03 , Athena Stavrou

Government ministers attended a cabinet meeting at Downing Street this morning, shortly after the prime minister hosted a breakfast meeting for potential Tory rebels.

Rishi Sunak is desperately trying to convince MPs to vote for his Rwanda plan in parliament this evening.

Starmer says Rwanda plan won’t work

09:37 , Athena Stavrou

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer dismissed the Rwanda plan as a “gimmick” and piece of political “performance art”.

He told BBC Breakfast that Labour would use the money “being wasted on the Rwanda scheme” to step up cross-border policing to tackle human trafficking gangs and he vowed his party would also speed up asylum claim processing, with those refused permission to stay sent back to their country of origin.

What is the government’s Rwanda bill?

09:21 , Athena Stavrou

The prime minister has pinned his hopes on soothing the Supreme Court’s concerns by agreeing a new legally binding treaty with Rwanda and putting forward laws which asks Parliament to confirm it believes the African nation is a “safe country” in a bid to cut the chances of blocking future flights.

Home Office officials say the treaty centres on preventing what is known as “refoulement”, where asylum seekers are removed and returned to a country where they face persecution, to satisfy concerns raised in the Supreme Court’s findings.

The agreement, which needs to be ratified by the UK and Rwandan parliaments to make it internationally binding, seeks to make sure the country does not remove migrants and send them back to their home country, or another country, after they have arrived from the UK.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, published on Wednesday, compels judges to regard the country as “safe” and disapplies sections of the Human Rights Act and international law.

Former minister: Rishi Sunak should pull the Rwanda bill

09:04 , Archie Mitchell

Sir Simon Clarke has called for Rishi Sunak to pull the Rwanda bill and return to Parliament with a new one that addresses “issues”.

The former levelling up secretary said the key question for the bill is whether it will do enough to deter migrants from crossing the channel in small boats.

“To achieve this, the bill needs strengthening,” Sir Simon said.

The right-wing Tory said a particular concern is the opportunity for asylum seekers to lodge appeals based on their individual circumstances, while interim orders by the ECHR in Strasbourg will “likely frustrate” the bill.

“The best option today would be for the Government to withdraw the legislation and to come back with a new bill that addresses these issues and commands the support of the whole Conservative Party,” he said.

No word from MPs leaving Downing Street breakfast

08:48 , Athena Stavrou

Tory MPs have left Downing Street after a breakfast meeting with Rishi Sunak in a desperate bid to persuade them to vote for his Rwanda bill.

Members of the right-wing New Conservatives group did not say anything as they left No 10 just after 8:30am.

Conservative MPs Neil O’Brien, Jonathan Gullis, Marco Longhi, Jill Mortimer, Lia Nici and Alexander Stafford were among those who arrived at the event just after 7:30am.

Tory minister ‘in listening mode’ as Sunak continues efforts to quell rebellion

08:27 , Athena Stavrou

Illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson said he was “very much in listening mode” as the Government continued efforts to ward off a Tory revolt over the Rwanda legislation.

He told Sky News: “They’re not pesky rebels. They are respected colleagues who I have worked with.”

Mr Tomlinson said he understood the concerns of the Tory European Research Group about the Rwanda plan.

“They want to shut out spurious claims, people making stuff up, to stop them and to stop the legal process going through I am equally determined to stop that,” he told Times Radio.

“I hope that that means that I can reach out right across the parliamentary party because I am somebody, I hope, who listens, who respects colleagues, and who responds to their concerns.”

Who attended Sunak’s breakfast meeting?

08:13 , Athena Stavrou

Rishi Sunak is currently hosting a faction of Tory MPs in Downing Street, in a desperate bit to convince them to vote for his Rwanda bill later today.

Among those pictured walking into No 10 were Conservative MPs Neil O’Brien, Jonathan Gullis, Marco Longhi, Jill Mortimer, Lia Nici and Alexander Stafford

Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger, co-founders of the right-wing New Conservatives group, and Tory Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson were also seen walking in.

Pictures: Conservatives arrive at Downing Street for breakfast

07:51 , Athena Stavrou

A number of Conservative MPs have arrived at 10 Downing Street ahead of a meeting with Rishi Sunak to discuss their vote on the Rwanda bill.

Around 20 members of the New Conservatives are due to attend breakfast with Mr Sunak after the grouping said his Rwanda bill “needs major surgery or replacement”.

Starmer dismisses Rwanda plan as a ‘gimmick’

07:49 , Athena Stavrou

Sir Kier Starmer has dismissed the government’s Rwanda plan as a “gimmick” ahead of the highly anticipated vote this evening.

He told BBC Breakfast that the plan - which he dubbed as “performance art” - wouldn’t work and was a waste of money.

“What I wouldn’t do, and what I won’t vote for, is £290 million spent on a gimmick that is the Rwanda scheme, that won’t work, at the very most will take about 100 people – we’ve got 160,000 people waiting for their asylum claims to be processed, so it’s a drop in the ocean,” he said.

He added: “It costs a fortune and, as we learnt from the Prime Minister when he finally admitted it last week, the deal be struck will also involve Rwanda sending their refugees across to the United Kingdom.

“It’s a gimmick, it won’t work, it is performance art. What I would do is do the more mundane, sleeves-rolled-up, practical work to stop this vile trade in the first place.”

More MPs arrive at Downing Street for breakfast

07:44 , Athena Stavrou

Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger, co-founders of the right-wing New Conservatives group, have arrived at Downing Street for breakfast.

Rishi Sunak is hosting the breakfast in an attempt to diminish a potential rebellion on his Rwanda policy as it’s voted on this evening.

The MPs said nothing when asked by reporters how they intend to vote on the Safety of Rwanda Bill.

Rebelling conservatives arrive at Downing Street breakfast

07:39 , Athena Stavrou

A number of Conservative MPs have arrived at 10 Downing Street ahead of a meeting with Rishi Sunak to discuss their vote on the Rwanda bill.

A group of them - including Tory Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson- walked in together at just before 7:30am.

Around 20 members of the New Conservatives are due to attend breakfast with Mr Sunak after the grouping said his Rwanda bill “needs major surgery or replacement”.

The prime minister is hoping to convince them not to rebel against the policy in the vote this evening.

Sunak to try to avert rebellion over breakfast meeting

07:23 , Athena Stavrou

Rishi Sunak will try to avert a mass rebellion while hosting breakfast ahead of the vote on his Rwanda policy this evening.

Around 20 members of the New Conservatives will attend a breakfast with Mr Sunak in Number 10 later this morning, as ministers engage in a last-ditch attempt to win over party colleagues and avert a humiliating defeat at the second reading.

The grouping of mostly 2019 MPs warned on Monday, after a meeting at the office of backbencher Danny Kruger and attended by former ministers Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, that the Bill “needs major surgery or replacement”.

New Conservatives say Rwanda Bill needs ‘major surgery or replacement’

07:00 , Lydia Patrick

The New Conservatives said that the Rwanda Bill needs “major surgery or replacement”.

A spokesman for the group said: “More than 40 colleagues met tonight to discuss the Bill.

“Every member of that discussion said the Bill needs major surgery or replacement and they will be making that plain in the morning to the PM at breakfast and over the next 24 hours.”

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

06:00 , Lydia Patrick

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.

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

Government accused of ‘choosing to ignore’ advice from senior lawyers over Rwanda

05:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Government has been accused of “choosing to ignore” advice from senior lawyers over its stalled Rwanda plan.

Described as a rare move in a bid to win over critics, the Government published a summary of its legal position in support of the scheme on Monday.

The document concludes that there is a “clear lawful basis on which a responsible government may proceed” with a “novel and contentious policy”.

But a leading Tory rebel said: “The Government is choosing to ignore advice from senior lawyers that there are good legal arguments for blocking off individual claims and all Strasbourg Rule 39 injunctions.

“Migrants can still make individual claims but these would continue in Rwanda. The Government should ensure that only those who are under 18 or medically unfit to fly are exempt from removal.

“It’s open to Parliament to block or restrict individual legal challenges and the courts will uphold this.”

Ben Wallace makes rare intervention as he urges Tory MPs not to ‘wreck’ government by voting down Rwanda Bill

04:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ben Wallace has made a rare intervention as he warned Tory rebels not to “wreck” the government by voting against the emergency Rwanda legislation.

The former defence secretary urged the government to “not let Keir Starmer off the hook by turning [Tuesday’s] vote into an exercise of making the perfect (but unrealistic) the enemy of the good”.

He added in his article for The Telegraph: “Strong deterrence has to be built brick by brick.”

03:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tory peer Baroness Helic, a former adviser to William Hague who fled to the UK from war-torn Bosnia in the 1990s, said: “When we ignore our commitments, it gives other countries cover to do the same.”

Labour former shadow attorney general Baroness Chakrabarti said: “The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill dishonours the great work of the generation that established the declaration and the subsequent treaties that were always intended to protect its values with binding law.”

Responding to the debate, Tory frontbencher Baroness Swinburne said: “We are committed to upholding human rights everywhere including in countries that we work very closely with.

“Rwanda is deemed a safe and secure country with respect to the rule of law.”

02:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Anglican cleric also pointed out Home Secretary James Cleverly had been unable to state on the front of the legislation whether it was compatible with the UK’s human rights obligations.

He said: “In producing such a Bill we are disregarding the humanity of asylum seekers as fellow human beings. Fellow human beings who are equal in dignity and possess the same freedoms as ourselves.

“This is not an issue of boats. It is an issue of people.

“As a nation, we have a proud history of upholding and promoting human rights across the globe. These human rights apply no matter the nationality a person is born to, no matter their methods of travel or entry to a country, no matter how many siblings they have.

“Human rights also always implies human responsibility - responsibility for one another.

“If we each want these rights then we also each must defend them for others.

“We cannot decide to remove rights from others without diminishing ourselves and accepting that we thus remove those rights from ourselves.

“We have been at the forefront since 1948 of promoting human rights, will the Government commit to lead the way rather than as currently appears step backwards from that leading role?”

01:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Raising his concerns over the Government’s actions, the senior bishop said: “Though the UN’s declaration of human rights is not totally legally binding, it is a declaration of the core values that underpin the human rights agreements the UK has since committed to in a range of international agreements and in the foundation of many of our laws.”

Mr Butler told the upper chamber Rwanda was a country “close to his heart”, having visited it 20 times since 1997.

He said: “It has a deeply painful history of suffering. Yet I have observed first-hand how, as a nation, it has rebuilt itself in the past 30 years, bringing those who violated the human rights of others in the past to justice.

“However, considering reports from the Human Rights Watch as well as the United States Government on the violation of human rights within Rwanda in recent years, questions are now raised that our Government can simply rule that Rwanda is a country that is indeed safe for refugees and asylum seekers to be sent to.”

Rwanda Bill disregards humanity of asylum seekers, senior bishop warns

00:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Government legislation aimed at sending small boat migrants to Rwanda disregards the humanity of asylum seekers, a senior bishop has warned.

If people want human rights then they must defend them for others, the Rt Rev Paul Butler told Parliament.

The Church of England cleric levelled his strong criticism ahead of a crucial first Commons vote on the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.

In a bid to avoid further legal setbacks to the stalled deportation plan, the controversial legislation allows ministers to disapply the Human Rights Act.

However, the Bill does not go as far as overriding the European Convention on Human Rights, which is being demanded by the Tory right.

The Rwanda scheme is a key part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to “stop the boats” by acting as a deterrent for people seeking to cross the English Channel.

The bid to press ahead with the policy came as the House of Lords held a debate to mark the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the UN in 1948.

The bishop said: “Though we are 75 years on, promoting the human rights laid out in the declaration remains as vital today as it did in 1948.”

He added: “It is essential if we are to promote human rights globally that we uphold them in our own nation.”

Robert Jenrick hits out again at ‘fundamentally flawed’ bill

Monday 11 December 2023 23:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick is proving a thorn in the side of Rishi Sunak in the push to get his bill over the line on Tuesday.

Mr Jenrick, who met a group of 40 hardliners this evening, said the “leaked” analysis produced by the government to suggest the vast majority of legal challenges would be rejected was “outdated”.

“Even on its own optimistic terms, it’ll take months to remove illegal arrivals,” he tweeted. He added on X: “The proposed bill is both legally and operationally fundamentally flawed.”