Nadine Dorries has said “karma’s a b****” after dozens of Tory rebels defied Rishi Sunak over the Government’s Rwanda laws. Boris Johnson’s ally made the comment following a major rebellion of Tory MPs in the Commons on Tuesday night.
She said: “By blocking it as Chancellor, Rishi Sunak was making sure Boris Johnson didn’t get the credit as prime minister for delivering that policy.”
Mr Johnson offered his support to more than 60 right-wing MPs backing amendments they claim will beef up the safety of the Rwanda Bill by restricting individuals’ abilities to challenge being sent to the African nation and overriding international law.
Former culture secretary Ms Dorries, who announced she was standing down as an MP in June last year in protest at her exclusion from Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list, insisted Mr Sunak was “totally opposed” to the Rwanda plan.
She said: “He could not have been more opposed.”
In his first major speech of 2023, Mr Sunak twice pledged to “stop the boats” – a commitment that became one of his five major pledges.
Ms Dorries said: “Karma can be totally mean sometimes. Karma is a b****. That’s exactly what it is and I think he’s getting his comeuppance right now.”
Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith stepped down in order to vote for two amendments that right-wing MPs claim will protect the Government’s flagship asylum policy from legal challenge.
Jane Stevenson also quit her role as a parliamentary private secretary in the Department for Business and Trade to back changes put forward by Conservative backbenchers.
Some 68 MPs, including 60 Tories, voted in favour of changes to the Safety of Rwanda Bill put forward by Conservative backbencher Sir Bill, which seek to ensure UK and international law cannot be used to block a person being removed to Rwanda.
The amendment was rejected by a majority of 461, but the rebellion gives an indication of the scale of unease within the Conservative Party during an election year.
There will be a crunch vote on the Rwanda Bill in the Commons on Wednesday when it has its third reading.
