United Kingdom: The UK Prime Minister, Mr. Rishi Sunak, put an end to a Tory uprising after his contentious Rwanda bill cleared the Commons.
The bill, which seeks to establish Rwanda as a secure nation to deport asylum seekers to, was approved by 320 votes to 276, with 44 votes in favor of the government.
Just 11 Tory MPs voted against the bill in total, including Mr. David Jones, co-chairs of the New Conservatives, Mr. Danny Kruger and Ms. Miriam Cates, former immigration minister Mr. Robert Jenrick, Ms. Sarah Dines, Mr. James Duddridge, Mr. Mark Francois, Ms. Andrea Jenkyns, and former home secretary Ms. Suella Braverman.
Eighteen Conservative MPs abstained on the bill, including Sir John Hayes, a seasoned MP, former prime minister Theresa May, and Lee Anderson, who resigned as deputy party chair yesterday in protest.
Even though seven Tory MPs, including Ms. Braverman and Mr. Jenrick, initially declared they would vote against the bill at third reading, the bill ultimately passed.
Mr. Sunak was ready for a showdown with right-wing Conservatives over the bill, which revives his proposal to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda if they try to enter the UK through narrow boat crossings in the Channel.
The bill gives ministers the authority to ignore parts of the Human Rights Act, but it stops short of allowing them to completely reject the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which is a demand made by some on the right. The bill’s purpose is to allow parliament to confirm Rwanda is a “safe country.”
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