Rwanda f lights are essential to stopping boats, says Cameron
DAVID Cameron insisted yesterday the Government’s Rwanda plan is ‘essential’ to stopping illegal migration following resurgent signs of mutiny from Tory MPs.
After seeing off a rebellion before Christmas, Rishi Sunak faces another crucial week for his policy when it returns to the Commons tomorrow.
The Foreign Secretary admitted the plan was ‘unusual and unorthodox’ but said the threat of deportation was necessary to deter Channel crossings.
He predicted the latest legislation designed to get flights off the ground ‘will be passed’ by the Commons this week despite close to 60 Tory backbenchers demanding major changes to make it harder for migrants to avoid being sent to East Africa.
Last night there were reports deputy chairman Lee Anderson was ready to back rebel amendments. Over the weekend, others suggested they may support Labour in voting the Bill down if alterations are not made.
As in-fighting continued among both wings of the Conservative Party over the Bill, Lord Cameron defended the principle of the flagship border policy.
But he conceded he did not know if it would get through the House of Lords, where Left-wing peers and lawyers have already pledged to water it down.
He told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: ‘The only way you can stop the boats is by busting the model of the people smugglers, by making sure that if someone goes from point A in France to point B in Britain, they do not stay in Britain.
‘Now, in an ideal world, you’d just send them straight back to France and that would be it and the whole trade would collapse. That is not available and that is why we’re pursuing the policy with Rwanda.’
He added: ‘It may be unorthodox or unusual but unless we can get flights off, and get that system working, so people know, there is no point getting on that boat in France, because if you get on that boat in France, you’re not going to be able to stay in the United Kingdom. Once we’ve done that, we’ll be able to collapse this trade even more.’
Asked if the Bill would get through Parliament’s upper house, where he now sits having been brought back into the Cabinet by Mr Sunak last autumn, the former prime minister replied: ‘I hope so. Sadly, I don’t have a personal majority in the House of Lords, but I’ll do everything I can to help get it through, because it’s essential.’
But many Tory MPs continue to raise the prospect of the Bill being defeated in the Commons.
Yesterday ex-immigration minister Robert Jenrick, once a close ally of the PM, likened the legislation to a ‘bucket riddled with holes’ and warned that the average illegal Channel crossing is costing taxpayers £30million.
Last night in another headache for No 10, it was reported Mr Anderson supports the attempts to make the law tougher by limiting legal challenges.
He declined to comment last night but other sources told the Telegraph he is ready to vote for the amendments, in what would be a major boost for the rebels.
Downing Street will continue talks with Tory MPs today ahead of the crucial third reading stage on Wednesday.
But so far it has not given any indication it will strengthen the Bill despite Mr Sunak claiming he was open to ‘bright ideas’ as long as they do not undermine Britain’s international obligations or prompt Rwanda itself to pull out of the deal.
The leaders of three of the biggest groups on the Right are predicting No 10 will put pressure on MPs to ‘withdraw their support’ from the amendments and have urged them to ‘stand firm’.
If the Bill remains unamended and enough backbenchers go against the entire Bill, Mr Sunak’s 29-vote majority in the Commons could be overturned and the legislation killed off. Former home secretary Suella Braverman has said she will vote against it unless it is strengthened.
Backbench Tory MP Tom Hunt told Times Radio yesterday: ‘We’ve got a very good number of colleagues signing all four amendments. I think we now have over 50. It could end up being over 60. That’s a clear demonstration of the strength of feeling in a large section of the parliamentary party about our desire for this Bill to work.
But he maintained the Bill was ‘vulnerable’ in its current form.
Asked if he would vote against the policy, he replied: ‘I’ll have to look at the Bill in its final form – my focus is fully on those amendments and trying to get support from Government.’
But if Mr Sunak does make the Bill tougher he faces the possibility of a revolt from the liberal One Nation wing of his party.
Ex-justice secretary Robert Buckland told Times Radio: ‘The Bill goes as far as it can – perhaps a little bit further for my taste to work within the rule of law.’
And he warned of attempts to stop court challenges: ‘That just sets up more legal argument and will probably delay the implementation of this policy.’
‘Collapse trade even more’