Can Rishi move his Rwanda deal into the ‘Goldilocks zone’?

It needs to be not too hot for Tory moderates, and not too cold for the right-wingers. And of the two factions, it’s the former who may yet prove themselves the most dangerous opponents to the PM’s deportation bill, writes Andrew Grice

Rishi after Rwanda: Home Office officials are now deperately searching for other third countries to send asylum seekers (POOL/AFP/Getty)

Rishi Sunak has won one battle, but he could still lose the war over the legislation he hopes will allow the government to send asylum seekers to Rwanda by next spring. Yet avoiding a humiliating Commons defeat hardly amounts to a great victory for Sunak, and his ducking and diving ahead of last night’s vote stored up more trouble for the later stages of the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.

The government’s majority of 44 was bigger than expected, but illusory. The right-wing, self-appointed keepers of the Tories’ soul abstained rather than voted against the government. Their bite did not live up to their noisy bark.

Sunak told them in Downing Street talks he was prepared to “tighten” the bill to make it “legally watertight”. Right-wingers assume this will relate to an individual’s right to challenge their deportation to Rwanda, insisting they did not oppose the measure because of what they regard as a firm promise.