Britain’s ruling Conservative party faced internal turmoil on Wednesday, as the immigration minister resigned over legislation related to sending migrants to Rwanda, adding pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Robert Jenrick stepped down, citing “strong disagreements” with the government’s immigration policy direction, raising concerns for Sunak’s leadership.
Rwanda warned of treaty withdrawal if the UK doesn’t adhere to international law.
Former interior minister Suella Braverman issued Sunak an ultimatum on immigration policies or face election defeat.
Braverman and hardliners demand tougher measures and leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
Jenrick resigned after the administration published emergency legislation to consider Rwanda a safe country, challenging a Supreme Court ruling.
In his resignation letter to the prime minister, Jenrick wrote that the proposed laws were “a triumph of hope over experience”.
“The stakes for the country are too high for us not to pursue the stronger protections required to end the merry-go-round of legal challenges which risk paralysing the scheme and negating its intended deterrent,” he wrote.
The bill proposes giving ministers powers to disregard sections of the UK Human Rights Act and ECHR when considering deportation cases.
But some right-wing Tories, including Braverman, want Sunak to leave the ECHR altogether.
Braverman, sacked last month after a series of outspoken comments, told parliament earlier that the government needed to go further to tackle “mass, uncontrolled, illegal immigration”.
Among her demands was to block “all routes” of legal challenge to deportations to get deportation flights to Rwanda by the time of the poll, which is expected next year.
She has become the cheerleader of the vocal Tory right wing and is thought to be positioning herself as a future leader if Sunak is forced to quit after the nationwide vote.
The Tories lag well behind the main opposition Labour party in opinion polls ahead of an election that must be held by January 2025.
Her latest comments are red meat to fellow firebrands who see having total control over Britain’s borders as the final piece in the Brexit jigsaw.
“The Conservative party faces electoral oblivion in a matter of months if it introduces yet another bill destined to fail,” she told MPs.
The Tories face a stark choice to “fight for sovereignty or let our party die”, she said, adding ominously: “I refuse to sit by and allow us to fail.”
In Kigali, Foreign Minister Vincent Biruta warned of Rwanda withdrawing from the migration deal if the UK breaches global conventions.
Cleverly, Jenrick’s successor, emphasized commitment to the partnership, stating the proposed law ensures Rwanda’s safety.
The deportation issue, part of Sunak’s promise to “stop the boats,” faces legal challenges, with nearly 30,000 migrants crossing the Channel this year.
Labour’s Yvette Cooper criticized the UK government’s “total chaos” and internal divisions.
Ada Peter
