Sunak pleads with Tory MPs to back Rwanda Bill as crunch vote looms

The Prime Minister said the Safety of Rwanda Bill was crucial to his promise to ‘stop the boats’.

Rishi Sunak publicly pleaded with MPs to back him in a social media post, ahead of a crunch Commons vote (PA) (PA Wire)

Rishi Sunak urged MPs to back his Rwanda plan as he battled to ward off a Tory revolt over the plans.

Ahead of a crunch Commons vote on Tuesday the Prime Minister said: “To stop the boats, we need to back this Bill.”

Mr Sunak invited MPs from the New Conservatives group to breakfast at No 10 in an attempt to persuade them to back the Safety of Rwanda Bill.

Would-be rebels have warned Mr Sunak that “major surgery” is still required to fix the flagship asylum legislation, with as many as 40 Conservatives prepared to either abstain or vote against it.

A revolt by 29 Conservative MPs could be enough to defeat the Safety of Rwanda Bill at its first Commons hurdle – something that has not happened to a piece of Government legislation since 1986.

In a social media post, Mr Sunak publicly pleaded with MPs to back him: “Today MPs will vote on the toughest ever anti-illegal immigration legislation.

“This Bill will allow us to control who comes into this country – not criminal gangs or foreign courts. To stop the boats, we need to back this Bill.”

The legislation is intended to address the Supreme Court’s concerns about the plan to send some asylum seekers who cross the English Channel to Rwanda rather than allowing them to attempt to stay in the UK.

The court ruled against the scheme, but the new legislation and a treaty with Rwanda are intended to make it legally watertight.

The New Conservatives, made up mainly of MPs elected since the 2016 Brexit referendum, are one of the main Tory factions with reservations about the plan, claiming it does not go far enough.

The group’s co-founders, Miriam Cates and Danny Kruger, and Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson were among those in Downing Street.

Jonathan Gullis, one of those who attended the breakfast summit, told TalkTV he still had “grave concerns” about the legislation and had not yet decided how he would vote.

“I still have those concerns that we will end up being bogged down with individual claims that mean that we’ll see very few people put on the plane to Rwanda,” he said.

The European Research Group, another prominent caucus on the Tory right, claimed it had enough MPs to scupper the Bill.

ERG leader Mark Francois also called for Mr Sunak to withdraw the Bill and rewrite it to toughen it up, rather than put it to a vote on Tuesday.

Deputy ERG chairman David Jones told Times Radio: “We believe we have the numbers, if necessary, to stop the bill progressing.

“We would far rather the Government did that itself and spoke to us constructively about a better piece of legislation.”

One MP who attended the breakfast meeting told reporters the Prime Minister had said he would listen to ideas for “tightening” the Bill but did not commit to specific amendments.

He said: “I would love to know what he means by ‘tightening’ the Bill.”

The MP added that backbenchers were “falsely” pinning their hopes on the possibility of amending the Bill, and were “deluding themselves” if they believed they could vote it down at a later stage.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke joined the chorus of criticism of the Bill, saying the Government should “withdraw the legislation and come back with a new Bill” that could avoid appeals against being sent to Rwanda.

He said: “This is a matter of practical politics as well as principle; we have failed to deliver on our promise to stop the boats twice already. There is neither public patience nor sufficient time for us to fail again.”

Illegal migration minister Michael Tomlinson – who replaced Robert Jenrick after he resigned in protest at the legislation – insisted he is “very much in listening mode” as last-ditch efforts to woo would-be rebels continue.

He told Sky News: “They’re not pesky rebels – they are respected colleagues who I have worked with.”

Mr Tomlinson said as a former member of the ERG “I know the concerns that colleagues have.”

“I knew the desire of colleagues right across the breadth of our broad church in the parliamentary party. What do they want? They want this Bill to work.

“The way I’m going to help to persuade them to support the Bill and to support us as we pass the Bill through Parliament is to help show that the Bill is actually going to work, because that’s what we all want. We all want this legislation to work. And that is what I’m determined to do.”

The New Conservatives’ invitation to Downing Street follows a meeting in Mr Kruger’s office on Monday night – attended by Mr Jenrick and former home secretary Suella Braverman – which concluded the Bill “needs major surgery or replacement”.

But in a boost to the Prime Minister, One Nation moderates – numbering around 100 MPs – said they will recommend backing the Bill after attending a meeting addressed by Attorney General Victoria Prentis.

However, in an indication of the difficulties facing Mr Sunak as he struggles to assert authority over his party, One Nation chairman Damian Green also warned its MPs would oppose any amendments that would risk the UK breaching the rule of law and its international obligations.

Mr Sunak is expected to meet with the One Nation group on Tuesday afternoon, while the right-wing groups will hold their own meeting to decide whether to abstain on the legislation or vote against it.

One Conservative MP said former immigration minister Robert Jenrick would play an influential role in the decision, but had not yet decided how he would vote.

The Bill allows ministers to disapply the Human Rights Act but does not go as far as overriding the European Convention on Human Rights, which Tory hardliners have demanded.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer dismissed the Rwanda plan as a “gimmick” and piece of political “performance art”.