RISHI Sunak today threatened to break “frustrating” international rules after top judges torpedoed his plan to migrate to Rwanda.
At tonight’s press conference, the Prime Minister will seek to calm Tory MPs who are poised to launch an all-out revolt over the Supreme Court defeat.
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Rishi Sunak in the Commons today after suffering another major blow today after the Supreme Court ruled that deportation flights in Rwanda were illegalCredit: Sky News..
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But the prime minister insisted he had a plan B and would not abandon his mission to stop the ships Credit: AFP
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Members of the media stand outside the Supreme Court ahead of its decision on Rwandan deportation flightsCredit: EPA
In a unanimous ruling, Britain’s top judges have ruled that Rwanda is NOT a safe third nation to which migrants could be deported.
But racing out of the blocks, Mr Sunak stood by the £140m removal scheme and revealed he was working to strengthen the deal.
At PMQs, he told worried Tories on the backbench: “If it becomes clear that our domestic legal frameworks or international conventions are still thwarting the plans at the time, I am prepared to change our laws and reconsider those international relations.
“The British people expect us to do whatever it takes to stop the ships and that is exactly what this Government will do.”
This opens the door to reforms to Britain’s membership of the controversial European Convention on Human Rights or other treaties.
The new home secretary, James Cleverly, appeared to rule out diluting ties with Strasbourg, telling restive MPs: “We will not be putting forward proposals just to create an unnecessary row for short-term political gain.”
The Prime Minister added: “This is not the outcome we wanted, but we have spent the last few months planning for all eventualities and remain fully committed to stopping the ships.
“It is crucial that the Supreme Court – like the Court of Appeal and the High Court before it – confirmed that the principle of sending illegal migrants to a safe third country for processing is legal.
Fighting back, he insisted he would do “whatever it takes” to stop the ships – and will address the nation at 4.45pm from Downing Street.
He spoke with Rwandan President Paul Kagame this morning where both leaders “reiterated their firm commitment to making our migration partnership work and agreed to take the necessary steps to ensure it is a strong and legal policy and stop the boats as soon as possible.”
Under a new deal Britain wants to strike with Rwanda, even refugees who fail the asylum process will be given the legal right to settle there.
Whereas under the existing agreement, they could be sent back to their potentially unsafe homeland, which is a matter for the Supreme Court.
The defeat marks a major blow to the prime minister’s pledge to stop the boats ahead of next year’s expected general election.
Sir Keir Starmer went on the attack in the Commons, exploding: “The central pillar of his government has crumpled under him.”
Summarizing the judgment, Lord Reed, president of the Supreme Court, said all five judges agreed with the Court of Appeal that the Rwandan plan was illegal.
SUNAK FACED WITH ‘VITRIOL’ FROM MPS OVER RWANDA
HARRY COLE, Political Editor
It was not so much a defeat, but an absolute blow.
Not since Boris Johnson’s attempt to suspend parliament in 2019 have ministers’ plans been so brutally shredded in the courts.
Suella Braverman revealed in her bombshell departure letter yesterday that she had been warning about this scenario for months, but No 10 insisted they had a “plan B”.
If that is indeed the case, they better get on with it as soon as possible because the mood in the Tory party varies from despair on the left to exuberance on the right.
Rishi Sunak will address the nation later this afternoon, as his Tory-right critics warn that “this seems existential for our party”.
Hard-liners warn that without some serious nuclear options — or what Suella described as a “disturbingly polite thought” — like reforming the Human Rights Act, the government is pretty much snookered.
Calls for emergency legislation to block the long arm of the Human Rights Court in Strasbourg are already coming thick and fast.
New Home Secretary James Cleverly – who inherited the intray from hell – is doubling down today, saying there is “obviously an appetite” for the concept of offshore processing of migrants.
And the Prime Minister also puts on a brave face, saying: “It is crucial that the Supreme Court has confirmed that the principle of sending illegal migrants to a safe third country for processing is legal.
But the problem lies in where will they do it?
Rwanda is now out, but it was the only country that the ministers convinced with a big check to agree to the plan.
If the Prime Minister does not have an auxiliary country, it is difficult to see how his “plan B” will succeed.
He told the court: “We are of the unanimous opinion that they had the right to reach that conclusion.
“Indeed, having gone through the evidence ourselves, we agree with their conclusion.”
Responding, a Rwandan government spokesman said: “Ultimately this is a decision of the British justice system.
“However, we challenge the decision that Rwanda is not a safe third country for asylum seekers and refugees, in terms of return.
“Rwanda and the UK are working together to ensure the integration of relocated asylum seekers into Rwandan society.”
New Home Secretary James Cleverly insisted that “there is clearly an appetite for this concept”.
He added: “Across Europe, illegal migration is on the rise and governments are following our lead – Italy, Germany and Austria are all exploring models similar to our partnership with Rwanda.”
TORY MP ANGER
But former minister Sir Simon Clarke said the ruling raised the fundamental question of “who runs Britain”.
Threatening a full-scale Tory rebellion, he warned that the Prime Minister’s response tonight would be seen as a “matter of confidence”.
He demanded urgent laws that would override the Human Rights Act and warned that the entire Sunak administration risks collapsing.
Tory deputy leader Lee Anderson said the government should “ignore the law” and send migrants back the same day they arrive in the UK.
A Braverman ally said: “The stupidity of this is the predictability of it all.
“Suella repeatedly proposed a plan when she first became Home Secretary to have the option of offshoring British asylum in Rwanda, which would ensure this loss in the courts.
“But it was blocked by the magical thinkers in Number 10. They played roulette with the British public and just blindly counted on winning in court.”
The former minister said that a vote of confidence in the leadership of Sunak is now “very likely”
And fellow Tory Danny Kruger of the New Conservative group said the Supreme Court ruling could mean the end of the party.
The hastily arranged meeting was attended by senior Tories including Lord Frost and Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
Mr Kruger said: “This seems absolutely existential for our party.” We promised to stop the ships, we promised to take back control of our borders.
“What we saw today is that the court overturned that sovereign decision of the British people.
“And if this government will not step up and do everything the prime minister promised and will, there is no reason for the public to trust us again.
“So we absolutely have to respond to this in the strongest possible way.”
Kruger, who said the current legislation is not tough enough, added: “What needs to be done today in our view is to announce immediate legislative action to enforce the sovereign will of the public and indeed Parliament.”
Yesterday’s Number 10 claimed that ministers were considering potential outcomes and drawing up contingencies.
A spokesman for Mr Sunak said: “We have options for possible scenarios as you would expect.”
SUELLA BLAST
The loss comes less than 24 hours after outgoing Home Secretary Suella Braverman slammed the Prime Minister for having “NO credible plan B” in her blistering resignation letter.
She wrote: “If we lose in the Supreme Court, which is the outcome I keep saying we must be prepared for, you will have wasted a year and an Act of Parliament, only to have to go back to square one.
“Worse than this, your magical thinking – believing you could get through this without upsetting decent judgment – meant you failed to prepare any credible ‘Plan B’.”
Responding to the ruling, Tory MP for Dover and Deal, Natalie Elphicke said: “The Supreme Court decision on Rwanda means that politics is effectively over.
“No plane will take off and now we have to move forward.
“A fresh policy is now needed: a new cross-channel agreement with France to stop ships leaving and return those leaving to the safety of French shores.
“That should be David Cameron’s top foreign policy priority.”
Last summer, the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court ruling that the removal scheme was safe.
By a two-to-one vote, the judges were not convinced that the government in Kigali would not later send the migrants to other countries where they could face persecution.
Ministers said the illegality ruling would not necessarily kill the plan for Rwanda – first announced in 2022 by Boris Johnson.
But the Supreme Court ruling will now fuel Tory calls for Britain to leave the European Court of Human Rights.
Ms Braverman’s allies could step up their campaign to stop deepening the civil war that is destroying the Tory party.
The government has already paid Rwanda £140 million to house asylum seekers crossing the channel.
Ministers believe the plan will deter tens of thousands from making the perilous journey if they know they will be transferred to the East African country.
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