Rwanda plan 2.0 unravels deep fissures in Sunak's Conservative Party

The UK's Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick resigned on Wednesday, saying that the ruling Conservatives' policy on immigration was not bold enough to "stop the boats", Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's rallying cry for curtailing irregular migration.

Hours later, former Home Secretary and a Conservative hawk Suella Braverman went a step further as she asked the government not to "do half measures".

"We have to totally exclude international law — the (UN) Refugee Convention, other broader avenues of legal challenge," said Braverman, who was sacked by Sunak in November.

The swift developments came shortly after Sunak's government signed a fresh deal with Rwanda to send asylum-seekers to the African country – one that would replace an earlier one that was scrapped by the Supreme Court, which said Rwanda wasn't a safe country for refugees.

The upheaval also laid bare the sharp differences in the ruling party ahead of crucial national elections due next year, with Sunak struggling to keep the fractious Conservatives united.

The Conservatives are also trailing in opinion polls to the opposition Labour Party, which many predict will return to power after a long time.

Jenrick and hardliners

Defending his resignation on the X platform, Jenrick said, "I cannot continue in my position when I have such strong disagreements with the direction of the Government's policy on immigration."

On Tuesday, British Home Secretary James Cleverly inked a new treaty during his visit to Rwanda's capital, Kigali, focussing on asylum-seekers or irregular migrants potentially being sent from the UK to the African country.

In a letter to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Jenrick touched upon what he called "the unfettered power of sovereign parliament to create law" as he believes "the government has a responsibility to place our vital national interests above highly contested interpretations of international law."

Jenrick, an MP since 2014, said he refused "to be yet another politician who makes promises on immigration to the British public but does not keep them."

The former junior minister in the health and finance departments touched upon the government's previous pledges. He referred to the "whatever it takes" commitment from the Conservative Party, insisting "we would stop the boats altogether. That is what the public rightly demands and expects of us."

Jenrick, a former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, also criticised the Rwanda deal, claiming "this emergency legislation is the last opportunity to prove this, but in its current drafting, it does not go far enough."

While Jenrick offered his commitment to Sunak from the backbenches, the UK's Prime Minister expressed his dismay amid what appear to be different visions within the Conservative party on how to tackle immigration.

"Your resignation is disappointing given we both agree on the ends, getting flights off to Rwanda so that we can stop the boats," said Sunak.

"I fear that your departure is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of the situation. It is our experience that gives us confidence that this will work," added the Prime Minister.

The proposed legislation is pushing to bypass potential legal challenges to so-called deportation flights, fuelling controversy and avid debate across the UK and within the government.

The 'Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill', if pushed through, claims "to prevent and deter unlawful migration, and in particular migration by unsafe and illegal routes, by enabling the removal of persons to the Republic of Rwanda under provision made by or under the Immigration Acts."

Among some observers, the bill is considered a middle ground in the emergency legislation.

However, amid strong pressure from both political flanks of his party, The Guardian suggests that centre-left MPs are bidding to vote against the government if the bill forces the UK to wake away from the European Convention on Human Rights (EHCR).

Before his resignation, Jenrick had floated the possibility of the UK quitting the EHCR.

Sunak under pressure

According to the Financial Times, a former rightwing conservative MP claims some colleagues could also submit letters of no confidence, potentially impacting Sunak with the Tories trailing the opposition Labour Party by some 20 points in the polls.

Nevertheless, many lawmakers argue the bill will avoid possible impediments to deportation flights despite hardliners within the Conservative Party claiming it does not go far enough.

In her first speech in the Commons since she was given the boot, Braverman, claimed without blocking human rights laws used to halt the potential flights that it could lead to "electoral oblivion in a matter of months."

The Tory hardliner claimed, "Previous attempts have failed because they failed to address the root cause of the problem."

She also denounced what she calls "expansive human rights laws, flowing from the European Convention on Human Rights, replicated in Labour's Human Rights Act, are being interpreted elastically by courts both domestic and foreign, to literally prevent our Rwanda plan from getting off the ground."

Braverman also went on to question, "Who governs Britain? Where does ultimate authority in the UK sit?

"Is it with the British people and their elected representatives in parliament? Or is it in the vague, shifting and unaccountable concept of 'international law,'" she added.

The Rwanda scheme is an attempt to curb irregular migration but has faced significant pushback.

A month ago, the UK's Supreme Court determined that the move would violate international human rights laws enshrined in domestic legislation.

In November, the Tories faced several political wranglings, resulting in Sunak reshuffling his cabinet.

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron was brought back to the political fold as the foreign secretary.

At the same time, James Cleverly became the Home Secretary after violent protests and political chaos in the streets of the capital, London.