British PM Sunak seeks to salvage plans to send migrants to Rwanda

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Dec 12 sought to avoid a humiliating defeat for his latest plans to send migrants to Rwanda that have split his ruling Conservative Party.

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill is Mr Sunak's answer to a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in November that deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda was illegal in international law.

Interior Minister James Cleverly admitted the plans were "novel" and "pushing at the edge of the envelope" but addressed the court's concerns.

Extreme action was needed to break the business model of "evil people-smuggling gangs" preying on the vulnerable, he told Members of Parliament before a debate and crunch vote on the proposals.

"This is lawful, this is fair, this is necessary... This is how we restore confidence in our immigration and take control of our borders," he said.

The Bill is part of wider government action to cut record levels of regular and irregular immigration that are likely to be key issues at elections in 2024.

But by seeking to declare Rwanda safe - despite concerns from human rights monitors and removing legal challenges to deportation orders, Mr Sunak has triggered deep factional Tory in-fighting not seen since wrangling over what form Brexit should take.