Rishi Sunak is today fighting to save his premiership as he grapples to stave off a potential Tory rebellion from warring MPs over his emergency legislation to get his flagship illegal immigration policy working.
The Government’s Rwanda Safety Bill is designed to get flights off the ground so asylum seekers can be processed in the landlocked African nation as a form of deterrent to halt small boats crossing over the English Channel.
But the Bill has met with vociferous opposition from the Right of the Tory Party, with lawyers convened on behalf of the influential European Research Group (ERG) branding the plan both “partial and incomplete” in a scathing verdict on Monday.
Now the PM is expected to host a meeting with 20 or so Tory rebels from the New Conservative faction in a last-ditch push to win their support ahead of a Commons vote on the Bill at its second reading stage today.
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Timeline for the day
Rishi Sunak is expected to hold a breakfast meeting with Tory MPs from roughly 7.30am.
He will then chair Cabinet this morning.
The debate for the Rwanda Safety Bill is expected to begin in the House of Commons at about 12.30pm with voting expected early evening.
David Cameron makes desperate plea to Tory MPs as Rishi Sunak faces Rwanda rebellion
David Cameron has urged warring Tories to unite behind Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as his premiership was pushed to the brink.
Lord Cameron told the Daily Express: “If we want to stop the boats, to stop this illegal migration, you simply have to have a strong deterrence policy, and this legislation will achieve that.
“I saw it when I was in office when there were huge numbers of people going from Turkey to Greece. And everyone thought that would never be stopped.
“But actually, once there was an agreement that anyone who arrived on a dinghy from Turkey to Greece went back to Turkey, and the Turks took them back, the number almost collapsed overnight.
“The Government has managed to achieve a new treaty with Rwanda very quickly, which many people thought we wouldn’t. Now we have legislation to put this policy beyond doubt. With the MPs’ backing, this is a plan that will stop the boats.”
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