- Sunak’s Rwanda Bill faces challenges
- Jenrick’s resignation creates turmoil
- Legal and political uncertainties arise
The signature initiative of Rishi Sunak, the Rwanda Bill, “will fail” and could cost him the upcoming election, according to Suella Braverman.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick’s resignation has placed the prime minister in a position that may prove to be the gravest predicament of his tenure to date.
Early in the year, Mr. Sunak positioned “stopping the boats” as the central tenet of his political strategy.
Mrs. Braverman, his former home secretary, stated that the new measure “will not stop the boats” and “will not function.”
The government published an emergency Rwanda Bill on Wednesday with the intention of achieving the desired deterrent effect while avoiding the more extreme course of disregarding European human rights laws entirely – an action that would have been excessively ambitious for the Rwandan government.
The proposed legislation, subject to parliamentary approval, confers authority upon ministers to deviate from specific provisions of the Human Rights Act.
At the very conclusion, this compromise failed even to satisfy Mr. Sunak’s immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, who resigned shortly after its publication, much to the astonishment of No. 10.
On Thursday, Mrs. Braverman stated that the measure exposed the government to potential legal disputes.
Mrs. Braverman stated, “At the start of the year, the prime minister pledged to halt the boats; it is now our responsibility to fulfil that commitment.”
“The time for rhetoric, promises, and catchphrases has passed.” “We must demonstrate delivery; that is the subject of this debate at the moment.”
Legal Challenges and Concerns
A Downing Street source cautioned that the Rwanda proposal has “no full-fat option” and stated that the Conservatives “need to operate within reality.”
The current bill, according to the source, is “the only way to have an effective deterrent scheme before the election,” and “everyone who believes in tough action to combat illegal immigration must support it.”
Political Risks and Options
The initial vote on the bill is scheduled for the following week. Mr. Sunak could be in serious trouble if the Conservative right joins forces with Labour to vote it down.
There are speculations that he could avoid this by designating it a vote of confidence, in which case members of parliament who disobeyed him would have their whips withdrawn.
He is still determining whether to possess the political fortitude to issue such a threat.
There are rumors that Conservative members of parliament may attempt to instigate a vote of no confidence in Mr. Sunak’s leadership.
Robert Jenrick’s Background
The former solicitor was elected to the House of Representatives for the Conservative Party in the Nottinghamshire constituency of Newark in the 2014 by-election.
The then-prime minister, Boris Johnson, appointed him housing secretary upon his promotion to the cabinet in 2019.
Mr. Jenrick, a father of three and 41 years old, served briefly as a deputy health minister in the government of Liz Truss, notwithstanding his support for Mr. Sunak for the Tory leadership.
He advocated for a stricter stance on both legal and illicit immigration during his tenure as minister of immigration, frequently lamenting the excessive levels of both.
In addition, he was embroiled in a number of controversies, one of which concerned his stance on granting planning permission to Conservative donor Richard Desmond.
Additionally, Mr. Jenrick faced criticism for directing the repainting of a juvenile asylum center’s Disney character mural.
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