Sunak faces revolt over Rwanda bill

Rishi Sunak is facing rebellion from both sides of the Conservative Party as his Rwanda asylum policy is put to parliament for the first time. The prime minister insists his Safety of Rwanda bill – which last week prompted the resignation of his immigration minister and longstanding ally Robert Jenrick – will clear the path for migrants to be deported to Africa, by making successful legal challenges “vanishingly rare”.

Last week he told journalists: “This bill blocks every single reason that has ever been used to prevent flights to Rwanda from taking off.” But speaking at the weekend, Jenrick told the BBC that the legislation in its current form would still allow a “range of legal claims that will bog down our scheme”. He has publicly stated he will vote against the bill, as have others. The so-called Star Chamber (legal experts who advise the European Research Group), have rejected the plan, meaning several right-wing Tory MPs are likely to block it.

Meanwhile, moderate backbenchers are concerned that the legislation goes too far in disapplying components of international treaties relating to refugees and human rights. Lord (David) Cameron has reportedly been seeking to allay concerns behind the scenes, and several MPs from the One Nation caucus told Tortoise they would “hold my nose” and back Sunak.

With the spotlight firmly on the government’s immigration plans, the BBC has unearthed commercial agreements showing that the Home Office has earmarked at least £700 million to manage the arrival of migrants on small boats for another decade.

The government’s contracts website shows that at least one major partner is required to help run two large facilities in Kent potentially until 2034, further undermining the prime minister’s pledge to ‘stop the boats’ before the next election. Any providers will have to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of the deal. But immigration is not the only headache for Sunak this week.

The prime minister begins giving evidence at the Covid inquiry today (Monday), where he has already been branded “Dr Death” for his discount restaurant scheme, Eat Out to Help Out. Among the allegations he will seek to rebut is the claim that he launched the scheme – branded Eat Out to Help Out the Virus by advisers – without consulting scientific experts.