Rishi Sunak is gearing up for a Commons showdown over his new Rwanda Bill.
Tory MPs on the right of the party are pushing for a series of amendments to toughen up the legislation. But centrists warned they will not back the legislation if it is made stronger amid fears it could breach international law.
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg warned that “as it stands” the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will not stop small boats.
He told GB News yesterday: “Passing the Bill is of huge importance, but only if it’s an effective Bill. Passing an ineffective Bill would make the Government look hopeless.
“In many ways it would be better to do nothing than to fail again, because this is, actually, the third go at trying to get people deported to Rwanda.”
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick earlier this week insisted the plan “simply doesn’t work” in its current form.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “(The) Government’s reported legal advice is that the Bill has a 50 per cent chance at best of getting a single flight off to Rwanda before the general election.
“When the stakes are so high for the country I don’t think that’s acceptable. We need to make sure it’s much more rigorous than that.”
Mr Jenrick said the amendments are in line with international law, one of the tests set by the Prime Minister for any changes.
But centrist former deputy prime minister Damian Green said Mr Sunak had assured him the Bill would not be beefed up.
“The Prime Minister’s looked me in the eye and said that he doesn’t want to go any further” and potentially break international law by ignoring its human rights obligations, he told the New Statesman.
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The Bill and a new treaty with Rwanda are intended to make the scheme legally watertight following a Supreme Court ruling against the plan to send asylum seekers on a one-way ticket to the African nation.
Mr Sunak has said he would welcome “bright ideas” on how to improve the Bill, but has previously insisted it already strikes the right balance.
The legislation seeks to enable Parliament to deem Rwanda “safe” generally but makes limited allowances for personal claims against being sent to Kigali.
The legislation cleared its first Commons hurdle last year despite speculation about a major rebellion by Tory MPs.
But even if it makes it through the lower chamber next week it will face an uphill battle in the Lords.
