Rishi Sunak has faced down rebels within his own party to win a showdown Commons vote as he fights to save his flagship Rwanda policy. MPs passed the embattled prime minister’s controversial deportation bill by 320 votes to 276, after most Conservative rebels “wimped out” of a threatened revolt.
Losing the vote could have imperilled Mr Sunak’s leadership and even sparked a general election, as Labour mocked the Tories for what it called their “farcical” divisions over asylum policy. But in the end just 11 Tory MPs voted against the government, including former home secretary Suella Braverman and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick.
The PM still faces a lengthy battle over the legislation in the House of Lords and the courts, however, as the government refused to say when flights to the African country might finally take off.
It came as:
• Rwanda suggested it could “refund” some of the £240m cost if no asylum seekers are ever sent there
• Rebels undermined the PM by publishing their own last-minute alternative to his Rwanda bill
• Robert Jenrick claimed Mr Sunak didn’t have “the guts” to throw a policy “grenade”
• Sir Keir Starmer compared the Tories to “hundreds of bald men scrapping over a broken comb”
However, Mr Sunak did suffer a rebellion on an ultimately unsuccessful amendment to the bill, as 59 Tory MPs backed a proposal designed to allow UK ministers to ignore emergency injunctions by European judges.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 18, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 18, 2024 من The Independent.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
What can stop Verstappen winning fifth straight title?
It is rare that we learn fresh pieces of detail about drivers on the Formula One grid.
Mo' money, mo' goals - why Salah is worth the gamble
As clear and emphatic as Mohamed Salah’s words on Sunday were, something was still left unsaid.
Guardiola: 'It will be a bad season by our standards'
But after five losses in a row, Man City's manager is defiant
West Ham hit Newcastle on counter to ease pressure
Tomas Soucek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka combined to burst Newcastle’s bubble as West Ham handed under-pressure boss Julen Lopetegui breathing space with a priceless Premier League away win.
Flood-proofing homes now will prevent future misery
One thing most people would agree on: Britain urgently needs new homes.
Chancellor has gone from cosying up to confrontation
Rachel Reeves urgently needs a new script – and some pizzazz.
CBI boss warns Budget will mean fewer jobs are created
Half of UK companies will cut jobs and two-thirds will recruit fewer staff, according to the boss of the UK's top business lobby group.
Man who drugged wife in mass rape case should serve 20 years, say prosecutors
French prosecutors have sought a 20-year prison term for Dominique Pelicot, accusing him of facilitating the mass rape of his wife Gisele Pelicot by dozens of men, drugging her unconscious, and sharing pictures and videos of her sexual assault.
Thousands arrested at Khan protests as Pakistan capital put under police lockdown
Pakistani authorities arrested more than 4,000 supporters of Imran Khan, including five parliamentarians, ahead of a rally demanding the release of the former prime minister from prison, where he has been held for over a year.
One dead after DHL cargo plane crashes in Lithuania
A DHL cargo plane has crashed into a house near the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, killing at least one of four people on board.