- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing difficulties getting MPs to approve a plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.
- Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on a bill aimed at overcoming a British Supreme Court injunction against the Rwanda project.
- Around 60 members of Mr Sunak's Conservative party revolted, leading to the resignation of two deputy leaders and a cabinet aide.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will put his authority and courage to the test on Wednesday as he tries to crush a Tory rebellion and win stalled parliamentary approval for a plan to send some asylum seekers one-way to Rwanda. Become.
MPs are scheduled to vote on a bill aimed at overturning a UK Supreme Court injunction on the Rwanda project, a day after about 60 members of Mr Sunak's Conservative Party rebelled demanding tougher legislation. There is. Mr Sunak lost his two party vice-chairmen to the opposition and resigned to vote against the government on the amendment. His deputy cabinet aide also resigned.
A similar uprising on Wednesday would doom the Rwanda Security Bill and possibly the 15-month-old Sunak government.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces key vote on “toughest anti-illegal immigration laws in history''
Mr Sunak has made controversial and costly immigration policy part of his bid to win this year's election, with opinion polls showing the Conservatives trailing far behind the Labor opposition. It is centered.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak gestures during a visit to a boatyard in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England, January 15, 2024. He is trying to quell a Tory revolt over stalled plans to send asylum seekers to Britain. One-way trip to Rwanda. (Pool photo via Phil Harris/AP)
They argue that deporting unauthorized asylum seekers will deter people from making the dangerous journey across the English Channel and disrupt the business model of smugglers.
“We have a plan and it's working,” Mr Sunak said in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
He needs to convince not only voters but also fellow Conservatives that this is true. But the ever-uneasy Conservative Party's liberal and law-and-order factions are at odds over the Rwanda plan.
Moderates fear the policy is too extreme, concerns underscored this week by the United Nations refugee agency, which said the Rwanda plan was “not compatible with international refugee law.”
However, many on the party's powerful right wing believe the bill does not go far enough to stop immigration to the UK. Attempts by hardliners to strengthen the bill by closing appeals avenues for asylum seekers failed on Tuesday, and some Conservatives failed on Tuesday. Rebels say they will oppose the bill as a whole if it is not strengthened.
If about 30 Conservative MPs vote against the bill, that, along with the votes against it, could be enough to kill it.
However, many Tory MPs may be reluctant to take the option of scrapping Mr Sunak's signature policies, which could trigger a panicked move to replace him or trigger a snap election. There is a possibility that The government must hold national elections by the end of the year.
Mr Sunak claims the bill will ensure the government will do everything it can to remove Rwanda from a deal to rehouse asylum seekers if the UK breaches international law.
Irregular Immigration Minister Michael Tomlinson said there were “inches” of difference between the government and Conservative critics and that “the fact is we all want the same thing”.
He said he was confident the bill “will pass tonight.”
The Rwanda policy is key to Mr Sunak's pledge to “stop boats” bringing illegal migrants from France across the Channel to the UK. More than 29,000 people made dangerous journeys in 2023, down from 42,000 the previous year. Last week, five people died trying to take a boat out of northern France in the dark and winter cold.
Rishi Sunak given leave after British MPs vote in favor of Rwandan immigration bill
Almost two years ago, London and Kigali struck a deal to send migrants who had crossed the English Channel to Britain to Rwanda, where they would live permanently. Britain has paid Rwanda at least $305 million under the deal, but no one has yet been sent to the East African country.
The plan has been criticized by human rights groups as inhumane and unworkable and is being challenged in British courts. The UK Supreme Court ruled in November that the policy was illegal, saying Rwanda was not a safe country for refugees.
Following the court's decision, the UK and Rwanda signed a treaty pledging to strengthen protections for migrants. Sunak's government claims the treaty allows it to pass legislation declaring Rwanda a safe destination.
If approved by Parliament, the law would allow the government to “deapply” parts of UK human rights law in relation to Rwanda-related asylum claims, making it harder to challenge deportations in court.
If the bill passes the House of Commons on Wednesday, it will go to the House of Lords, the upper house of parliament, where it will face further opposition.
