Can the British Prime Minister "breathe a sigh of relief" after the internal rebellion of the Conservative Party?

British Chancellor Rishi Sunak has quelled a rebellion by right-wing members of his own Conservative Party after the controversial Rwanda Safety Bill cleared its final hurdle in the House of Commons.

Lawmakers on January 17 voted in favour of Prime Minister Sunak's flagship bill, designed to confirm that Rwanda is a safe third country for the resettlement of people who fail to claim asylum in the UK.

The bill, key to implementing the UK Government's Rwanda Expulsion Plan, passed the House of Commons by 320 votes to 276.

Eighteen Conservative MPs abstained from voting on the bill, including Lee Anderson, who resigned as deputy leader on January 16 in protest, former Prime Minister Theresa May and veteran MP Sir John Hayes. Only 11 Conservative MPs voted against the bill, including former Home Secretary Suella Braverman and former Immigration Secretary Robert Jenrick.

With a general election due this autumn, the British prime minister has staked his credibility on a pledge to stop boats carrying undocumented migrants crossing the English Channel, arguing that the Rwanda Deportation Scheme would deter asylum seekers from making the dangerous journey.

Division and Rebellion

In April 2022, the UK reached a deal with Rwanda under which illegal immigrants and those who fail to claim asylum will be sent to the East African country to have their claims processed there. If successful, they will be granted permanent residency in Rwanda rather than being allowed to return to the UK.

However, the plan has been met with opposition. The first flight, scheduled to take seven migrants to Rwanda in June 2022, was cancelled after the European Court of Human Rights intervened. Last November, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the government's plan was unlawful.

Mr Sunak's government then introduced emergency legislation known as the Safe Rwanda Bill to prioritise domestic and international human rights laws, and this version was passed by the House of Commons on 17 January.

World - Can the British Prime Minister — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the House of Commons, January 15, 2024. Photo: El Pais

But Mr Sunak’s relief came after a divisive public battle within the Conservative Party. He suffered the biggest rebellion of his premiership on the evening of 16 January when 60 Conservative MPs voted for a tougher amendment put forward by the most senior member of the House of Commons, Bill Cash.

Mr Sunak's power has been dealt a heavy blow after the party's two vice-chairmen, Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, and MP Jane Stevenson, resigned to support the rebels.

A spokesman for Number 10 Downing Street said the bill's passage marked an important step in the government's plans to stop migrants arriving in small boats.

“This is the toughest piece of legislation ever introduced in parliament to tackle illegal migration and will make it clear that if you are here illegally, you cannot stay,” the spokesman said.

“This government and the Conservatives have reduced boat crossings by more than a third. We have a plan, we have made progress and this landmark legislation will ensure we can operate flights to Rwanda, deterring migrants from making the dangerous journey across the Channel.”

The storm has not stopped

Facing Mr Sunak at Prime Minister's Questions (PMQ) in parliament earlier on January 17, opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer described Plan Rwanda as a "farce".

“The government has spent £400m of taxpayers’ money on a scheme and still can’t deport a single person,” Mr Starmer said, adding that Mr Sunak had been “brutally exposed again by his own MPs” over the rebellion within the ruling party.

However, not everyone who participated in the rebellion on January 16 voted against Mr. Sunak's bill. The proof is that the bill passed the House of Commons with a large gap between the number of votes for and the number of votes against (44 votes).

Speaking to Sky News, rebel MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said he ultimately decided to vote in favour of the bill because it was “better than the status quo”.

“After the difficulties of the last few days, the Conservative Party has come together,” said Mr Rees-Mogg. “Most of the Conservative Party wants those who are here illegally to be deported to Rwanda, that is the unifying point.”

Although the bill has been passed by the House of Commons after three readings, a Conservative Party source told Sky News the storm is not over yet.

The process for the bill in the House of Commons will now repeat itself in the House of Lords, where the Conservatives do not have a majority.

The bill will also face a series of legal challenges from individuals threatened with deportation to Rwanda, with UK government lawyers saying there is only a “50/50” chance of the first flight to the third country taking people to the country taking off before the autumn general election.

Takes too much time

There were some “strange” moments on a dramatic day. Also on January 17, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said the UK’s Deportation Plan was taking too long to implement.

“There are limits to how long this can last,” Mr Kagame told the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

Asked by journalists if he was following the debate in London, Mr Kagame replied bluntly: “That is the UK’s problem, not ours.”

The Rwandan government has received around £240m from the UK as part of the deal, with a further £50m expected later this year. Mr Kagame has signalled that this money could be returned if Mr Sunak fails to deliver on his Rwanda Expulsion Plan.

“This money will be used for those who will come,” President Kagame said. “If they don’t come, we can return it.”

However, a Rwandan government spokesman later clarified that the country was “under no obligation” to return any money, but if the UK requested a refund, “we would consider it”.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, a UK-based NGO, said the bill would force thousands of desperate people to disappear into the UK to avoid deportation.

“It is time for the government to admit that Plan Rwanda is completely unworkable and will only cause more human suffering,” said Mr. Solomon.

“The reality is that the government’s plans are pushing desperate people into unsafe and dangerous situations. We fear many of them will disappear, facing the risk of abuse and exploitation to avoid being taken to Rwanda . ”

Minh Duc (According to The Guardian, Sky News, Xinhua, Politico EU)

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