Potential Tory rebels silent as they leave No 10 as Sunak fights to win support for Rwanda bill
Good morning. Rishi Sunak and his team will spend the day trying to win round Conservative MPs unsure whether to support his Rwanda deportation bill before the vote at 7pm tonight. He has already held a breakfast meeting with some of the most intransigent potential rebels, but there is no evidence (yet?) that he had much success; as they left, they would not talk to the media.
Ahead of what may be the most important parliamentary vote of Sunak’s premiership, here is our overnight preview by Kiran Stacey and Rajeev Syal.
And these are from the BBC’s Henry Zeffman, who has been broadcasting from Downing Street this morning.
About 15 Conservative MPs just arrived for crucial breakfast with Rishi Sunak, including Lee Anderson, Danny Kruger, Miriam Cates, Neil O’Brien pic.twitter.com/iF6h6eCmd4
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) December 12, 2023
Others present include Jonathan Gullis, Marco Longhi, Lia Nici, Jill Mortimer, Tom Hunt, Alex Stafford
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) December 12, 2023
An hour later and breakfast is over. No comment from the MPs as they left on whether Sunak has won them round
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) December 12, 2023
And this is from PA Media:
The MPs said nothing as they left Downing Street.
None answered when asked by reporters if they had been persuaded by Rishi Sunak.
They left together just after 8.30am.
It seems more likely than not – but not certain – that Sunak will win the vote tonight. A government has not lost a bill at second reading since 1986, when the shops bill (which would have allowed Sunday trading) was defeated by Labour and rebel Tory MPs who wanted to protect Sunday as a day of rest. The issue was relatively marginal, and Margaret Thatcher went on to win a general election handsomely the following year. But, for Sunak, “stopping the boats” is a core mission for his government and, without this bill, he would no longer have a plan at all. A defeat would be utterly disastrous, and no one knows where that might lead.
But, even if Sunak wins, that will probably just mean the key battle on this legislation being postponed until MPs vote on amendments, after Christmas.
One way or the other, by the end of the day we’ll have a clearer insight into just how perilous this row is for the Sunak administration.
I’ll mostly be focusing on this story today, although we also have a big speech from Keir Starmer this morning that I’ll be covering in detail.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Rishi Sunak chairs cabinet.
10.30am: Keir Starmer gives a speech near Milton Keynes.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
After 12.30pm: MPs begin the debate on the second reading of the safety of Rwanda (immigration and asylum) bill.
2pm: David Cameron gives evidence as foreign secretary to the Commons European scrutiny committee.
7pm: MPs vote on the Rwanda bill.
If you want to contact me, do try the “send us a message” feature. You’ll see it just below the byline – on the left of the screen, if you are reading on a laptop or a desktop. This is for people who want to message me directly. I find it very useful when people message to point out errors (even typos – no mistake is too small to correct). Often I find your questions very interesting, too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either in the comments below the line; privately (if you leave an email address and that seems more appropriate); or in the main blog, if I think it is a topic of wide interest.
Key events
Stopping all deportation appeals ‘not the British thing to do’, says minister
Michael Tomlinson, the new minister for illegal migration, has been giving interviews this morning. Defending the provision in the Rwanda bill that will allow some appeals against deportation to continue (even though the bill is intended to close most routes to a successful appeal), Tomlinson told the Today programme blocking all right to appeal would be unBritish. He said:
We have shut out virtually every single claim that is possible. What is not possible is to shut out every single claim.
Nor would that be right, for two reasons. Firstly, it would breach international law. That is not the right thing to do. Secondly, because it is not the British thing to do. Even during the second world war did we not shut out claims going to court.
Ben Quinn has the full story here.
Potential Tory rebels silent as they leave No 10 as Sunak fights to win support for Rwanda bill
Good morning. Rishi Sunak and his team will spend the day trying to win round Conservative MPs unsure whether to support his Rwanda deportation bill before the vote at 7pm tonight. He has already held a breakfast meeting with some of the most intransigent potential rebels, but there is no evidence (yet?) that he had much success; as they left, they would not talk to the media.
Ahead of what may be the most important parliamentary vote of Sunak’s premiership, here is our overnight preview by Kiran Stacey and Rajeev Syal.
And these are from the BBC’s Henry Zeffman, who has been broadcasting from Downing Street this morning.
About 15 Conservative MPs just arrived for crucial breakfast with Rishi Sunak, including Lee Anderson, Danny Kruger, Miriam Cates, Neil O’Brien pic.twitter.com/iF6h6eCmd4
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) December 12, 2023
Others present include Jonathan Gullis, Marco Longhi, Lia Nici, Jill Mortimer, Tom Hunt, Alex Stafford
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) December 12, 2023
An hour later and breakfast is over. No comment from the MPs as they left on whether Sunak has won them round
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) December 12, 2023
And this is from PA Media:
The MPs said nothing as they left Downing Street.
None answered when asked by reporters if they had been persuaded by Rishi Sunak.
They left together just after 8.30am.
It seems more likely than not – but not certain – that Sunak will win the vote tonight. A government has not lost a bill at second reading since 1986, when the shops bill (which would have allowed Sunday trading) was defeated by Labour and rebel Tory MPs who wanted to protect Sunday as a day of rest. The issue was relatively marginal, and Margaret Thatcher went on to win a general election handsomely the following year. But, for Sunak, “stopping the boats” is a core mission for his government and, without this bill, he would no longer have a plan at all. A defeat would be utterly disastrous, and no one knows where that might lead.
But, even if Sunak wins, that will probably just mean the key battle on this legislation being postponed until MPs vote on amendments, after Christmas.
One way or the other, by the end of the day we’ll have a clearer insight into just how perilous this row is for the Sunak administration.
I’ll mostly be focusing on this story today, although we also have a big speech from Keir Starmer this morning that I’ll be covering in detail.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Rishi Sunak chairs cabinet.
10.30am: Keir Starmer gives a speech near Milton Keynes.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
After 12.30pm: MPs begin the debate on the second reading of the safety of Rwanda (immigration and asylum) bill.
2pm: David Cameron gives evidence as foreign secretary to the Commons European scrutiny committee.
7pm: MPs vote on the Rwanda bill.
If you want to contact me, do try the “send us a message” feature. You’ll see it just below the byline – on the left of the screen, if you are reading on a laptop or a desktop. This is for people who want to message me directly. I find it very useful when people message to point out errors (even typos – no mistake is too small to correct). Often I find your questions very interesting, too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either in the comments below the line; privately (if you leave an email address and that seems more appropriate); or in the main blog, if I think it is a topic of wide interest.
#Potential #Tory #rebels #silent #leave #Sunak #fights #win #support #Rwanda #bill #politics #live #Politics
