Rwanda bill – live: Sunak wins vote despite rightwing Tory rebellion

Rishi Sunak has won the vote on the Rwanda bill despite a mass rebellion by rightwing Conservative MPs.

MPs on Tuesday evening approved the Safety of Rwanda Bill at second reading by 313 votes to 269, majority 44.

It comes after Mark Francois MP, the chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), announced five separate groups of right-wing Conservative MPs said they could not support the bill, which would designate Rwanda as a safe country for asylum seekers.

The government also won on the first vote as Labour’s bid to block the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill at second reading was rejected by 337 votes to 269, majority 68.

The bid for Mr Sunak’s 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.

Key Points

• Government wins Rwanda Bill vote

• Goverment wins on first vote on Labour amendment

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

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

• Asylum seeker dies on the Bibby Stockholm barge

Farage returns to UK warning Tories that Sunak faces ‘catastrophic’ defeat

10:37 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak is heading for “catastrophic” defeat at the general election, Nigel Farage has predicted.

The former Brexit Party leader said it was “fascinating” that polling suggested he was more popular with Tory voters than the Prime Minister following his stint on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!

As he arrived back in the UK following his time in the jungle, Mr Farage said his popularity with Conservative voters was “very flattering” and it would “take some time” for him to decide on his next move.

He told the PA news agency that the Prime Minister’s battle with his own side to win Tuesday’s Commons vote on the Rwanda plan showed the difficulties Mr Sunak was in.

“This Government’s in desperate trouble, headed for catastrophic defeat,” he said.

Farage returns to UK warning Tories that Sunak faces ‘catastrophic’ defeat

Does the Tory right have the numbers to defeat Sunak?

10:25 , Adam Forrest

While there is scepticism about the number of MPs who will actually be willing to vote against the bill, a revolt by the 29 Tories who abstained could be enough to defeat the government.

The group of around 40 or so right-wingers who attended the “five families” meeting on Tuesday were said to be evenly split between abstaining or voting against.

Some right-wingers claim the 29 abstentions underestimate the number of potential rebels, unhappy with the bill, who could vote it down at the showdown third reading stage.-

Others think some who abstained will back the bill when it comes to the crunch. “Almost like the right are all talk,” one Tory moderate told Politico. “This was the moment of maximum leverage for opponents of the bill and the government rightly told them to f*** off,” another senior Tory MP who backed the bill told the FT.

10:05 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Watch live as Michelle Donelan grilled over AI regulation by select committee

Sunak in ‘last chance saloon’ with Rwanda policy, says Tory peer

09:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Tory peer Lord Greenhalgh, a key Boris Johnson ally, has warned his party that a failure to deport sufficient numbers of suspected illegal migrants to Rwanda would be “a disaster for the government.”

The right-winger told GB News: “This is the last chance saloon for these flights to take off before a general election. And I can’t say when but if this bill doesn’t pass, obviously it’s not going to happen this side of the election.”

The peer reiterated comments by ex-immigration Robert Jenrick, who said one or two “symbolic” Rwanda flights would not be good enough. Lord Greenhalgh said that it “we get a third plane that is empty, having spent many hundreds of millions on the policy … that will be electoral disaster for the Conservatives.”

Mark Harper says Sunak will ‘continue listening’ to Tory MPs about Rwanda Bill

09:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will “continue listening” to Conservative MPs about possible amendments to his Safety of Rwanda Bill.

He told LBC: “All Conservative MPs want to deal with this.

“We’ll continue listening to colleagues if colleagues have got ideas about how to strengthen the Bill and improve it consistent with international law and with keeping Rwanda onside, who’ve made it clear that they want us to stick with international law.

“There’s no point having a Bill without a partner country to send people to.

“So, within those constraints, we’ve made it very clear the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister will continue listening to colleagues, working with them.

“Conservative colleagues want to try and get this done, so that we can start removing people to Rwanda so we can break the back of those (people smuggling) groups. Labour has no plan at all.”

Could ‘One Nation’ Tories try to amend Rwanda bill?

09:11 , Adam Forrest

The One Nation moderate wing of the Tory party is assumed to be happy to keep supporting Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill – so long as he doesn’t toughen it up under pressure from the right.

But one senior Tory MP in the One Nation moderate wing of the party told The Times that they plan to bring forward a “wrecking” amendment in the new year.

They are said to hope that it will win backing from Labour, a move that could make life very difficult for Mr Sunak

Sunak must stick to ‘narrow landing strip’, says One Nation Tory leader

08:51 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sunak must stick to ‘narrow landing strip’, says One Nation Tory leaderModerate Conservative MPs in the One Nation caucus agreed to back the bill this week – but have stressed that they will resist any amendments from the Tory right that would risk the UK breaching the rule of law.

Damian Green, the group’s chairman, told Newsnight the PM had secured a “pretty solid” majority for his proposal and that he hoped the “third reading would go through reasonably easily”.

“On today’s vote, the government has more or less managed the narrow landing strip that it is aiming at, and so it should stick to that landing strip,” the senior Tory moderate said.

UK heading for ‘clash’ with European judges over Rwanda bill, says Lord Sumption

08:41 , Adam Forrest

Former Supreme Court judge Lord Sumption predicted that there is likely to be a “clash” with European judges over the bill, something that would likely enrage Rishi Sunak’s Tory critics.

Lord Sumption told BBC’s Newsnight that the bill “is contrary to international law” because it seeks to “block people off from access to the courts”.

The senior legal figure – whom the government had claimed approved of the bill – added: “Sooner or later there may be a clash with the Strasbourg (European) Court of Human Rights.”

Tory rebels won’t kill our Rwanda bill in new year, home secretary insists

08:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Home secretary James Cleverly has claimed Tory rebels won’t kill Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill in the new year – insisting that the faction-riven party is still “united”.

The PM faces a January showdown over his flagship deportation legislation after right-wing Tory MPs threatened to vote it down if it is not toughed up.

Mr Sunak managed to survive a crunch first vote after spending the day in talks with potential rebels – with MPs approving the bill by 313 votes to 269.

Our political correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Tory rebels won’t kill our Rwanda bill, James Cleverly insists

Cleverly will ‘harvest’ Tory right ideas to improve legislation

08:21 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

James Cleverly suggested killing the Rwanda Bill is not “the best way” for potential rebels on the Tory right to act over concerns that the legislation is too weak.

Asked about European Research Group chairman Mark Francois’s objections of the legislation, the Home Secretary told Sky News: “I will talk to Mark and I’ll talk to others, of course, to understand their thinking on this and try to harvest their ideas to make things better.

“But I can’t see if someone’s got a concern that the Bill might not be as strong as they would like, killing the Bill doesn’t strike me as the best way of doing that, because if the Bill isn’t on the statute books it can’t possibly succeed.”

Mr Cleverly was asked about a YouGov poll suggesting only 1% of voters think the plan will work, to which he replied: “I’d like to prove them wrong. My job is to demonstrate this will work as part of an overall plan which is already working.”

Asked how long it would take before planes are taking off to Kigali, he said: “We’ve got to get this Bill through the House of Commons and the House of Lords. That will take some time.”

Home secretary denies Rwanda Bill will be killed next year

08:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

James Cleverly denied that the Government’s Rwanda Bill would be killed next year.

When it was put to him that right-wing Conservatives would vote the legislation down, the Home Secretary told Sky News: “That’s your assertion, I don’t agree.

“It is part of, but not the only part, of a range of measures that we are taking.”

James Cleverly says it is ‘absolutely wrong’ to say a lot of Tories do not work the Rwanda Bill to work

07:56 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Home Secretary James Cleverly said it was “absolutely wrong” to say that a lot of Tories do not want the Government’s Rwanda Bill to work as he inisted the Conservative Party is “united” in its desire to get the legislation right.

He said: “We of course are more than willing to listen to good faith amendments that are designed to make the Bill better, keep it within the bounds of international law, keep it in a state that the Rwandans are happy to work with.”

Put to him that “a lot of Tories” do not want the legislation to work, he told Sky News: “No, this is absolutely wrong. The Conservative Party is united on the desire to get this right and to stop the boats.

“The Labour Party’s position is to try and wreck it.”

Tories look ‘ungovernable’, admits Tory MP

07:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Ben Bradley, the Conservative MP for Mansfield, suggested the Tories now appeared “ungovernable” after the Rwanda – where 29 colleagues refused to obey the whips by abstaining.

The right-winger, who backed the government, told BBC Newsnight: “We have been in government for 13 years. We have got a parliamentary party that has been built in all different directions, in different elections, by different leaders.

He added: “You might argue it’s kind of ungovernable. This situation suggests it’s certainly not easy to govern.”

Sunak seen hugging chief whip in relief

07:36 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak was spotted hugging Simon Hart, the Tories’ chief whip, after the result of the Rwanda vote was read out.

The PM said: “The British people should decide who gets to come to this country, not criminal gangs or foreign courts. That’s what this bill delivers. We will now work to make it law so that we can get flights going to Rwanda and stop the boats.”

Sunak faces new year showdown with Tories over Rwanda policy after Commons win

07:18 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak faces a new year showdown over his Rwanda deportation policy after right-wing Conservative MPs said they could vote emergency legislation down if it is not tightened.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday won a crunch vote on the Safety of Rwanda Bill after spending the day in talks with potential rebels to avoid a defeat on his flagship “stop the boats” pledge.

The efforts to bring people on side worked, with MPs approving the Bill at second reading by 313 votes to 269, giving the UK Government a winning majority of 44.

Sunak faces new year showdown with Tories over Rwanda policy after Commons win

Illegal migration minister commits to work with Jenrick on ‘need for legal certainty’ on Rwanda plan

07:00 , Tara Cobham

Illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson has committed to working with Robert Jenrick on “the need for legal certainty” on the Government’s Rwanda plan.

Addressing the Conservative former immigration minister, Mr Tomlinson said he was “sorry” to see Mr Jenrick resign and added: “It is right to say, and I agree with him, that there is a disagreement between us, but it is a good faith disagreement, he was right when he said that and I agree with him.

“I agree with his point about the need for legal certainty and I commit to working with him on that very point.”

Asked elsewhere in his remarks for his view of how many people will be deported to Rwanda next year, Mr Tomlinson said: “It will start off in the hundreds and it will scale up to the thousands.”

Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash (Stone) asked: “Will (Mr Tomlinson) seek a ruling from Mr Speaker that the long title and the scope of the Bill will or may be amended to ensure that amendments may be moved and selected, at least by the Government, and even by backbenchers, as on previous occasions?”

Mr Tomlinson said: “I will continue to work with him on this. I will come back to his specific point and I will come back and address I hope his very concern.”

Is it time the Rwanda scheme was scrapped? Join the Independent Debate

06:00 , Tara Cobham

The Prime Minister has successfully defused a Tory revolt, following a crunch vote on his flagship migration policy.

The government’s new Rwanda bill would order British judges and courts to ignore some sections of the UK Human Rights Act to allow for the deportation of asylum seekers to the African country.

Under the plan, asylum seekers that arrive in Britain will be sent to Rwanda for processing where they could either be granted refugee status or allowed to stay.

Find out more here:

Tell us if it’s finally time the Rwanda scheme was scrapped

Watch the moment Sunak wins Rwanda vote despite right-wing Tory rebellion

05:00 , Tara Cobham

There were loud shouts of “aye” after Rishi Sunak’s Safety of Rwanda Bill passed its second reading on Tuesday, 12 December, in the House of Commons.

The prime minister’s new planned legislation would deem Rwanda safe in British law after the original bill was struck down as unlawful by the Supreme Court.

MPs approved the Safety of Rwanda Bill at its second reading by 313 votes to 269, majority 44.

Mr Sunak’s win came after five separate groups of right-wing Conservative MPs decided they could not support the Safety of Rwanda Bill at its second reading.

Holly Patrick reports:

Watch the moment Sunak wins Rwanda vote despite Tory rebellion

Rishi Sunak wins Rwanda vote as he staves off mass Tory rebellion – for now

04:00 , Tara Cobham

A wounded Rishi Sunak has secured victory in a crunch vote on his flagship Rwanda policy – but his political future remains under threat ahead of a new year showdown on the issue.

The prime minister faces another battle with his MPs within weeks after parliament backed his emergency legislation by 313 votes to 269.

As he fought to keep his controversial deportation scheme alive, Mr Sunak even flew a minister back from the Cop28 climate change conference in Dubai to vote.

Kate Devlin and Archie Mitchell report:

Rishi Sunak wins Rwanda vote as he staves off mass Tory rebellion – for now

In pictures: MPs approve Rwanda Bill

03:00 , Tara Cobham

Yvette Cooper calls for cross-party agreement on border enforcement

02:00 , Tara Cobham

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper called for a cross-party agreement on border enforcement.

Speaking after the Rwanda vote, she said: “We need both stronger border security and stronger action to fix the Tories’ asylum chaos that has got worse and worse over the last few years.

“We’ve seen, really, over the last few days the Tory Party civil war erupting, with different groups taking different lumps out of each other, and that chaos looks like it’s going to continue into the New Year as well.”

She said Labour will set up a new “returns unit” to remove people who do not have a right to be in the UK and stated the Tories had presided over a 50% drop in such returns.

Ms Cooper also set out plans to create an international security agreement to share information on people-smuggling networks.

She said: “We ought to have a cross-party agreement on some of these basic things like going after the gangs, clearing the backlog, and getting returns in place, getting proper enforcement in place, but they’re not capable of doing that because they’re too busy taking lumps out of each other – because they are more interested in their civil war than they are in actually tackling the problems, and in actually doing a fair deal for the country.”

Duncan Smith says he could always rescind backing after supporting bill

01:00 , Tara Cobham

Despite voting to support the Bill, former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he could always rescind his backing at a later date.

He said: “We always reserve the right to do what we have to do when we think it doesn’t work, my personal view is I want to see the Government listen and engage.

“Right now this was a very difficult Bill to get through, very contentious, it was the toughest bit of legislation concerning people’s rights, in terms of asylum seekers, that we’ve seen, and that’s because the crisis is big and many people are dying in the channel.

“It’s happening all over Europe – France is in defiance of the European court, sending people back.

“Denmark passed legislation to send people back, Sweden is doing the same, Germany is in turmoil, Italy is talking about defying the court – this is not just the UK.

“It’s part of the problem that all around Europe we’re facing, so this is the issue here on our island and we have to resolve it, otherwise it creates chaos.”

He said there were divisions in the Conservative Party: “Of course [there are divisions], but these divisions are about big issues and I think what the public want is a result at the end of this.

“They want something done – we made a pledge, Rishi Sunak made a pledge, to stop the boats, and we want to deliver it.”

Asked about Robert Jenrick resigning because he believed it it would not stop the boats, he said: “Well if you have five lawyers, you have 55 opinions.”

He added: “The Supreme Court made it very clear, they said once the Parliament makes clear their position in this then they will fall in line.”

Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith says he voted to support bill

00:00 , Tara Cobham

Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he voted to support the Rwanda Bill.

Speaking after the vote, he said the Bill was the “toughest” legislation on people’s rights to date.

He said: “I felt, first and foremost, we need to take this Bill through to further discussions and debate, and I think it’s considerably better than what was there before – it gives us a chance to see if we can get those flights off the ground and make sure we disincentivise the whole idea of those who have to pay under that terrible murderous business.

“We’re seeing whether or not there will be elements that can be tightened up.

“There are debates around here about certain clauses, where there may there be open possibilities for people to make continuous vexations claims.

“So, we need to look about whether it is feasible to tighten those places up, and there are some other bits about reference to Europe.

“I think the important things here is that colleagues want to try and get this through, so that we can get this flights off the ground and the Rwanda policy can act as a deterrent.”

‘Parliament has spoken,’ says Cleverly

Tuesday 12 December 2023 23:00 , Tara Cobham

Home Secretary James Cleverly said “Parliament has spoken” after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak won a crunch vote in the Commons over his emergency Rwanda legislation.

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Mr Cleverly said: “Parliament has spoken.

“We must be able to choose who comes to our country – not criminal gangs.

“That’s what this Bill will deliver.”

Coffey says Sunak will be happy with winning Rwanda Bill vote

Tuesday 12 December 2023 22:00 , Tara Cobham

Therese Coffey said Rishi Sunak will be happy with winning the Rwanda Bill vote.

The MP for Suffolk Coastal said “the issue has become rather totemic” and added she wanted the Conservative Party to focus on “the criminal gangs pushing people across with false hope”.

Speaking after the vote, she said: “That was a solid vote. Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister should be very happy tonight.

“There’s a Bill, we can now get on with that Bill, clearly the Prime Minister has said he’s in a listening mode, wants to make it work.

“It was important to get the Bill through this stage today and I think a majority of 44, any Prime Minister would be proud of that, especially giving the tensions today.

“For the majority of people in this country, what they care about is the money in their pocket and economic growth.”

Asked what she would say to the rebel Tory groups who did not support the Bill, she said: “Just go through the detail carefully, and it’s important that the Government listens, and it’s important that people concerned about the legislation, on both ends of the political party, look at the details.”

Watch the moment Sunak wins Rwanda vote despite right-wing Tory rebellion

Tuesday 12 December 2023 21:15 , Tara Cobham

There were loud shouts of “aye” after Rishi Sunak’s Safety of Rwanda Bill passed its second reading on Tuesday, 12 December, in the House of Commons.

The prime minister’s new planned legislation would deem Rwanda safe in British law after the original bill was struck down as unlawful by the Supreme Court.

MPs approved the Safety of Rwanda Bill at its second reading by 313 votes to 269, majority 44.

Mr Sunak’s win came after five separate groups of right-wing Conservative MPs decided they could not support the Safety of Rwanda Bill at its second reading.

Holly Patrick reports:

Watch the moment Sunak wins Rwanda vote despite Tory rebellion

Is it time the Rwanda scheme was scrapped? Join the Independent Debate

Tuesday 12 December 2023 20:55 , Tara Cobham

The Prime Minister has successfully defused a Tory revolt, following a crunch vote on his flagship migration policy.

The government’s new Rwanda bill would order British judges and courts to ignore some sections of the UK Human Rights Act to allow for the deportation of asylum seekers to the African country.

Under the plan, asylum seekers that arrive in Britain will be sent to Rwanda for processing where they could either be granted refugee status or allowed to stay.

Find out more here:

Tell us if it’s finally time the Rwanda scheme was scrapped

Sunak tweets he will work to put emergency legislation into law

Tuesday 12 December 2023 20:35 , Tara Cobham

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted to say he will work to put his emergency legislation into law “so that we can get flights going to Rwanda and stop the boats” after winning a crunch vote in the Commons.

No Tory MP voted against giving Rwanda bill second reading

Tuesday 12 December 2023 20:15 , Tara Cobham

The division list showed no Conservative MPs voted against giving the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill a second reading.

There were 38 Conservative MPs listed as having no vote recorded, although this does not automatically equate to an abstention.

The division list released by the Commons authorities listed 307 Tory MPs as voting for the Bill along with five independent MPs, including Peter Bone (Wellingborough).

The number is one short of the 313 announced in the chamber, but updates to the list can occur.

There have been occasions where an MP’s vote has not registered on the pass reader system and they are added to the relevant list later – moving from the no vote recorded column.

Rishi Sunak wins Rwanda vote as he staves off mass Tory rebellion - for now

Tuesday 12 December 2023 19:55 , Tara Cobham

A wounded Rishi Sunak has scraped victory in a crunch vote on his flagship Rwanda policy - but his political future remains under threat ahead of a new year showdown on the issue.

The prime minister faces another battle with his own MPs within weeks after parliament backed his emergency legislation by 313 votes to 269.

As he fought to keep his controversial deportation scheme alive, Mr Sunak even flew a minister in from the Cop 28 climate change conference in Dubai to vote.

Kate Devlin and Archie Mitchell report:

Rishi Sunak wins Rwanda vote as he staves off mass Tory rebellion - for now

Watch: Rishi Sunak wins Rwanda vote after Tory rebellion

Tuesday 12 December 2023 19:36 , Tara Cobham

Government wins Rwanda Bill vote

Tuesday 12 December 2023 19:30 , Tara Cobham

The government has won the vote as MPs approved the Safety of Rwanda Bill at second reading by 313 votes to 269, majority 44.

Goverment wins on first vote on Labour amendment

Tuesday 12 December 2023 19:17 , Tara Cobham

The government has won on the first vote as Labour’s bid to block the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill at second reading was rejected by 337 votes to 269, majority 68.

MPs are now voting on the original motion, which is to decide whether or not to give the Bill a second reading.

Critics ‘will not back’ Sunak’s Rwanda Bill after meeting in Westminster

Tuesday 12 December 2023 19:12 , Tara Cobham

Tory MPs demanding tougher legislation on the Rwanda plan have decided they will not back the bill after meeting in Westminster as Rishi Sunak faces a test of his authority.

The Prime Minister has been working to avert a rebellion but he faces resistance from the Tory right, with MPs calling for changes to the Safety of Rwanda Bill – which faces its first Commons test on Tuesday night.

Tories from the European Research Group (ERG) and four other factions were meeting in a Parliamentary committee room to decide on their next steps.

David Hughes reports:

Critics of Sunak’s Rwanda Bill meet in Westminster to consider next moves

Rwanda has made ‘utter mugs’ of ‘chaotic' government, according to SNP MP Wishart

Tuesday 12 December 2023 19:00 , Tara Cobham

Rwanda has made “utter mugs” of the “chaotic” UK Government, according to SNP MP Pete Wishart (Perth and North Perthshire).

He told the Commons: “Hasn’t Rwanda played an absolute blinder? They must have seen them coming from thousands of miles away, soliciting hundreds of millions of pounds from this Government and apparently they’re going to get another £100 million more.

“They’ve done all this without taking one single deportee. Go Rwanda, you have made utter mugs of this chaotic Government across the road.”

Mr Wishart said the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill might be the piece of legislation that “brings down” the Government, adding: “What a hill to die on – an obsession with immigration, an obsession with stopping these small boats, and by God they deserve to be brought down.”

He went on: “Scotland rejects this. My constituents want nothing to do with this. I will proudly and defiantly be voting against this this evening and that will be in the name of the people I represent … what a disgraceful Bill, what an appalling piece of legislation, it deserves to be shoved right in the furthest bin from the furthest corner of this country.”

Five separate groups of right-wing Tories ‘cannot back Bill’

Tuesday 12 December 2023 18:55 , Tara Cobham

Five separate groups of right-wing Conservative MPs have decided they cannot support the Safety of Rwanda Bill at second reading on Tuesday, Mark Francois MP has said on their behalf.

Conservative former Home Office minister Kevin Foster gives backing to Bill

Tuesday 12 December 2023 18:48 , Tara Cobham

Kevin Foster, a Conservative former Home Office minister, gave his backing to the Bill.

“I do think this Bill does need to get a second reading. There are clearly points of detail that we can explore at committee,” the MP for Torbay said.

Mr Foster added that he had questions about clause four of the Bill on decisions about individual circumstances, addressing immigration minister Michael Tomlinson as he said: “Where is the evidence threshold going to be? It will be particularly interesting to hear, particularly given his former role as solicitor general, his experience in front of the courts directly, where he believes the courts may draw the line for interim relief?”

Duncan Baker, the Tory MP for North Norfolk, said: “I will support this Bill this evening, because it is a fundamental right that a country must be able to protect its borders, and as a basic it should know who is entering the country, and even more so if they are trying to do it illegally.

“I support the Bill because we simply cannot rest on our laurels with the current action we have taken, as positive as that already is.”

Immigration has turned Doncaster into a ‘ghetto’, Tory MP says

Tuesday 12 December 2023 18:40 , Tara Cobham

Immigration has turned Doncaster into a “ghetto”, a Conservative MP has said.

Speaking in the Commons, Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher said: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Doncaster is full.”

He added: “We are turning parts of our community into a ghetto.”

Mr Fletcher said people “don’t expect to be called racist or xenophobic for saying ‘we liked it as it was’, and if we’re going to have immigration, which I don’t completely believe is a bad thing to do, it just needs to be controlled immigration”.

Mr Fletcher said he would be back the Bill but added: “We’ve got friends on this side of the House who want this Bill stronger and I’m going to work with them, and I’m hopefully going to work with you because we must make this work, we have to stop the boats.”

Strengthening Bill’s measures risks undermining UK standing in world, says Tory backbencher

Tuesday 12 December 2023 18:20 , Tara Cobham

Strengthening the Bill’s measures further risks undermining the UK’s standing in the world, a Tory backbencher told the Commons.

Conservative MP Matt Warman (Boston and Skegness) said: “I welcome the fact that it is doing something novel, but I am uncomfortable in that position, because what this Bill does is to go up to the line of international law, and international law is important.”

He added: “(International law) is the foundation upon which we are able to do the deals with other countries, for instance Albania, France, Italy, that allow us to tackle illegal migration.

“Because Rwanda cannot be the only thing that we do, Rwanda has to be, if it is to happen, a part of a meaningful package of measures. If we go so far in one direction to try and ensure that flights to Rwanda take off, we will knock out other important parts of the deal that we need to do.”

He said his party needs to be “careful about walking a tightrope”, saying: “If we try and go further the risk is not just that we undermine our whole approach to tackling this issue with a multi-pronged approach, it also risks simply undermining Britain’s whole standing in the world – so we will have a policy that won’t work and a country that is less than where we started.”

He added: “I find myself voting for this Bill this evening not with huge enthusiasm for anything other than the concept of addressing a problem that we have a moral duty to address.”

Watch live: MPs vote on Sunak’s emergency Rwanda bill

Tuesday 12 December 2023 18:00 , Tara Cobham

Watch live as MPs vote on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s emergency Rwanda legislation on Tuesday, 12 December.

The Prime Minister is attempting to defuse a Tory revolt, as there stands significant division on both sides of the Conservative Party over the bill.

Some on the right of the party want a tougher law, while those towards the left have warned against the bill breaching international law in the future.

Watch live here:

Watch live: MPs vote on Sunak’s emergency Rwanda bill

Senior Tories urge colleagues to cease internal hostilities and back Bill

Tuesday 12 December 2023 17:40 , Tara Cobham

Senior Tories have urged their colleagues to cease internal hostilities and back the Bill.

Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh said: “The Conservative Party, I hear of all these different groups. You know, a house divided is a house that is going to be destroyed. We have to work together. There is no other solution.”

The Gainsborough MP suggested his party should make leaving the European Convention on Human Rights a manifesto pledge at the next election to satisfy calls from the Tory right, adding: “Meanwhile, this Bill probably goes just about as far as we can do. I am sorry, but that is all we can get through Parliament and we have to be realistic.”

Conservative former minister Jackie Doyle-Price said she had never been an “enthusiastic supporter” of the Rwanda plan but was happy to support the Bill, adding: “I really question how we have got into this ridiculous place this week where these benches are all falling out with each other over a small element of a bigger policy. It is completely stupid. The only people who benefit are the benches opposite.

“For those people who are prepared to give them a victory tonight, well, good luck to you. That is great. But some of us are actually more intent on delivering the outcome, which is stopping the boats and breaking the criminal gangs who profit from other people’s misery.”

Clive Efford, Labour MP for Eltham, commented on the differences between Tory factions, telling the Commons: “That gangway has never seemed so wide. It seems to be the equivalent of the Berlin Wall for the left and right of the Conservative Party.”

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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 17:00 , Tara Cobham

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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 15:36 , Tara Cobham

Yvette Cooper likens Rishi Sunak to a Christmas turkey during debate

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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’

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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

Tuesday 12 December 2023 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.