Rishi Sunak urges Tories to support his asylum plan for Rwanda

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak is appealing to Members of Parliament (MPs) to support his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, despite opposition from senior Tories who believe the plan will fail. Sunak held a news conference to assert his authority after Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick resigned over the revised policy. Jenrick believed that the new law did not go far enough. Sunak disagreed with Jenrick's assessment but stated that the upcoming Commons vote on the bill would not be a confidence vote in his government. Sunak clarified that MPs who vote against the plan would not face suspension from the parliamentary Conservative Party. The proposal to process asylum seekers in Rwanda has been delayed several times due to legal challenges. The newly announced Safety of Rwanda Bill aims to revive the policy after the Supreme Court found it unlawful last month. The bill compels judges to treat Rwanda as a safe country and grants ministers the power to dismiss parts of the Human Rights Act. Some Conservative MPs want the bill to go further in preventing legal challenges under domestic and international human rights laws. Jenrick resigned over the legislation, describing it as "a triumph of hope over experience." Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman echoed this view and warned that the Conservative Party risked electoral oblivion unless it altered its course. However, Sunak defended the Safety of Rwanda Bill as the toughest immigration law ever, claiming that it addressed all the reasons that have previously hindered flights to Rwanda. He emphasized that any further disregard for human rights law would cause Rwanda to scrap the agreement, leaving the government with no alternative. Sunak urged everyone to support the bill. Facing opposition from Tory MPs, Sunak is under scrutiny regarding his ability to secure support for the bill's passage in Parliament. The government could designate the vote as a confidence matter to pressure MPs into siding with them. Although this move carries the risk of triggering a general election upon losing a confidence vote, Sunak suggested he would not use this tactic. When confronted with the question of whether MPs should back him or sack him, Sunak did not directly respond, but expressed his frustration with the legal obstacles preventing the implementation of the Rwanda scheme. He also questioned the Labour Party's stance on the legislation, as they have vowed to scrap the policy if they win the next election. By goading Labour and holding the impromptu news conference, it appears that the prime minister recognizes the political danger his government may face. There have been suggestions that Conservative MPs might try to initiate a party confidence vote against Sunak's leadership, while others believe the party's unruliness may prompt an earlier general election than anticipated. However, Sunak's press conference does not appear to have assuaged tensions within his party. Some right-wing Tory MPs are seeking legal advice on the bill before deciding whether to support or oppose it. Additionally, the One Nation group of moderate Tory MPs has also sought legal expertise to analyze the legislation. The responsibility of steering the bill through Parliament falls to Michael Tomlinson, who was appointed as the illegal migration minister, while Tom Pursglove, the minister for legal migration, will collaborate on the issue.