Rishi facing rebellion on Rwanda by moderates

RISHI Sunak is facing a huge showdown over his new Rwanda laws after moderate Tories were accused of moving to ‘weaken’ the Bill last night.

Separate factions of the party have tabled a range of changes to the Safety of Rwanda Bill before it reaches a crucial stage in the Commons next week.

Yesterday a series of amendments were laid by members of the centrist One Nation group, who insisted they were trying to strengthen the Bill and ensure removals flights can take place as soon as possible.

One change proposed by former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland would strip out powers for ministers to ignore Rule 39 orders – socalled ‘pyjama injunctions’ – which have previously been issued by Strasbourg judges to block Rwanda flights. Sir Robert said: ‘To people who say I’m trying to weaken the Bill I say that on the contrary, I’m trying to strengthen it.

‘I’m trying to get rid of superfluous language which just provides a bonanza for lawyers. We need to get planes in the air rather than have a fight with Strasbourg.’

But sources on the Right of the party accused the moderates of trying to bin key elements of the proposed legislation. ‘These are... just an attempt to pull the PM in the other direction and weaken the Bill,’ one said.

Another described Sir Robert’s amendments as ‘absurd’. It came after Right- wing backbenchers moved to toughen the new laws earlier this week. Former home secretary Suella Braverman, writing exclusively for the Mail, warned that failing to act would amount to a ‘betrayal of the British people’.

A crunch Commons vote on the legislation last month saw 38 Tory MPs – including Mrs Braverman – abstain after calling for the Bill to be toughened still further. The Rwanda policy, designed to see Channel small boat migrants sent to the African nation to claim asylum, was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court in November.

Mr Sunak believes the Bill addresses all the concerns raised by the court and will finally allow removals flights to take off by the spring. Robert Jenrick MP, who resigned as immigration minister over the Bill, has tabled a series of amendments including new restrictions on how migrants can deploy the European Convention on Human Rights.

Home Secretary James Cleverly published a document yesterday bolstering the Government’s case that Rwanda is a ‘safe third country’.

But it did acknowledge an internal assessment by UK officials had concluded that there are ‘issues with its human rights record around political opposition to the current regime, dissent and free speech’.

Refugee Council chief executive Enver Solomon said: ‘The Government’s plans are woefully inadequate with no meaningful commitment to expand safe routes for refugees from war-torn countries such as Sudan and Syria, and those fleeing repressive regimes in countries such as Iran.’

‘We need to get planes in the air’