Pledge to derail PM's Rwanda legislation

Rishi Sunak’s target of flying out asylum seekers to Rwanda by next spring is in doubt, with opposition parties and some Conservative peers having pledged to try to block emergency legislation intended to rescue the plan.

- Peter Walker , Rajeev Syal

In another blow to the prime minister, Suella Braverman, the home secretary that Sunak sacked on Monday, dismissed his ideas as “magical thinking”, setting out her own rival plan to make sure removals begin swiftly.

Downing Street will introduce a bill to parliament a week on Monday, after next week’s autumn statement, which is expected to declare Rwanda a safe country for asylum processing, contradicting the supreme court ruling on Wednesday.

This Monday, Downing Street will publish a planned treaty with Rwanda intended to provide full guarantees that asylum seekers will be properly treated when sent there.

No 10 plans to fast-track the bill through the Commons and Lords. Nevertheless, rapid progress would depend on cooperation from opposition parties. Labour, the Liberal Democrats and SNP are all expected to push back against the proposal.

While the Conservatives have a working majority of 56 in the Commons, matters could be more tricky in the Lords where opposition peers are likely to be joined by some Conservative members who are alarmed by both the policy and the proposal to rush through a law overturning a supreme court decision.

“This will be blocked, or at least held up,” one Conservative peer said. “I don’t think many Conservatives will vote against it. But lots could stay away. The whips have already used up a lot of goodwill.”