‘Risky’ Sunak Faces Big Vote

TODAY the UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, could be facing his toughest day in politics, possibly risking his future as leader on the controversial Rwanda immigrant deal.

On Tuesday, December 12, the Rwanda Bill is set for its ‘second reading’ in the House of Commons. This stage marks the first real debate and vote on the bill’s principles, beginning around noon and culminating in a crucial vote at 7:00 pm UK time.

Sunak’s allies have been fervently engaging with factions within the Conservative Party over the weekend, with the PM himself even holding a breakfast meeting with Tory rebels this morning.

Their goal is to avert a revolt that could derail a bill Sunak reassures will minimise legal challenges to deporting migrants to East Africa, writes the Guardian.

Internal Party Dynamics

A government source hinted at potential flexibility, optimistically stating, ‘We are talking to colleagues, but we are confident this bill is extremely robust and makes the routes for any individual challenge vanishing small.’ Meanwhile, up to 100 right-wing backbench MPs plan to assemble to discuss the bill.

Robert Jenrick, the former immigration minister, who resigned over the bill last week, commented on Twitter/X: ‘Even on its own optimistic terms, it’ll take months to remove illegal arrivals. But unless people are removed in days rather than months the policy will clearly fail.’ He later added: ‘The proposed bill is both legally and operationally fundamentally flawed.’

Sunak’s Leadership

Amidst this legislative battle, Sunak also recently testified at the Covid inquiry, addressing controversial decisions like the ‘eat out to help out’ scheme.

At the same time, talks of internal party gossip to replace him before the next election are surfacing. Some Conservatives suggest reinstating Boris Johnson, with fanciful claims of teaming up with ‘Celebrity’ finalist Nigel Farage.

However, a faction of MPs, led by Damian Green, opposes such a plot. Green remarked, ‘those wanting to remove Sunak were “mad or malicious, or both”.’

Failure in the upcoming vote could lead to a humiliation for Sunak, questioning his ability to pass future bills and potentially triggering another Conservative leadership battle or even a general election.