Rishi Sunak to address the nation in surprise Downing Street press conference

Rishi Sunak is set to hold an unexpected press conference at Downing Street this morning.

The Prime Minister is due to address the nation about the Government's long-delayed Rwanda plan. MPs and peers are expected to pass legislation tonight that could see flights in the air. This comes as Mr Sunak battles to improve the Conservative Party's poor opinion poll ratings.

The PM is prepared for a potential leadership challenge from his MPs if the local election results on May 2 are disappointing. A challenging by-election for the Tories will also take place in Blackpool South on the same day.

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Mr Sunak is attempting to regain control after the party was hit by another sleaze scandal. MP Mark Menzies announced yesterday, Sunday, that he had left the Tories and would not stand in the next election following allegations of misusing campaign funds to pay "bad people".

The Rwanda deportation was first mooted two years ago when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister. The Government has pledged to keep Parliament sitting late into the night if necessary to pass the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, which it sees as crucial to Mr Sunak's promise to "stop the boats", reports the Mirror.

Peers have repeatedly thwarted legislation with a series of amendments, prolonging debates on the "emergency legislation" over more than four months and delaying flights transporting asylum seekers to Rwanda. Downing Street is opposed to the idea of providing concessions to ensure the passage of the bill, leading to a deadlock with the House of Lords.

The Bill aims to overcome the reservations of the Supreme Court by mandating judges to recognise Rwanda as a safe country for asylum seekers and enabling ministers to disregard emergency injunctions from the European Court of Human Rights.

Last week peers once again amended the Bill which now includes an exemption for Afghan nationals who served alongside British troops and a clause proclaiming Rwanda could not be considered safe unless deemed so by an independent monitoring body.

Tonight, it is predicted MPs will vote to reverse those changes before sending the Bill back to the House of Lords, where some peers may attempt to insist on their amendments once more. If so, the Bill would return to the Commons later for a further vote and then return once again to the Lords in a process known as "ping pong" that could last well past the Commons' usual 10.30pm finish.

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