Sunak saves rebellion against his leadership at the last minute

british prime minister, Today, Rishi Sunak was able to remain in his headquarters at No. 10 in Downing Street after tonight “to the utmost” suppression of a mutiny from his ranks that would have ended his political career. More than 60 conservative MPs threatened to vote against him From Rwanda's controversial plan to send asylum seekers who arrive via irregular routes to the African country. But hours before a key vote in the House of Commons to tackle the bill, the Conservative leader met them and was finally able to secure their support.

Militant rebels showed themselves “Deeply disturbed” by the government. It's not that they are against the controversial immigration plan. His disappointment comes from his belief that they should be made more stringent so that those arriving by boat across the English Channel cannot avoid being deported. However, at the last minute, they decided to support the executive.

Sunak has made the Rwanda plan the centerpiece of his mandate, so had he not passed this key measure yesterday, these regulations would have died, and his position in Downing Street would certainly have died as well.

Despite taking oxygen, the British Prime Minister still cannot breathe easily. The bill still must pass the House of Lords, where it is widely opposed, before it becomes law. Hence, everything indicates that he will face legal challenges from the courts. The hopes of the conservative hard core are to see the first plane take off for Rwanda in the second half of the year, when the general election is scheduled. But it seems that the matter is increasingly complicated. Morale in the Conservative Party has hit rock bottom. All opinion polls predict the end of the “conservative” era after more than thirteen years in power.

Sunak asks his ranks to unite. But his authority is increasingly diminishing. Vice-Chairmen of the Conservative Party –Lee Anderson and Brendan Clark Smith– They submitted their resignation on Tuesday, considering that the immigration plan should be tightened further. Both were among more than 60 Tory rebels who backed anti-government amendments tabled in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

The controversial immigration plan was initially announced in April 2020 by the then Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. But no plane has yet been able to take off for Rwanda due to the intervention of the British judiciary. At the end of last year, the UK Supreme Court followed in the footsteps of the European Court of Human Rights in opposing the measure, deeming it illegal.

Sunak was then forced to conclude a new agreement with Kigali with amendments to ensure that “displaced persons in Rwanda will not run the risk of being returned to a country where their lives or freedom are threatened.” But the new draft law does not convince different groups to form it, for various reasons. While the moderates see the matter as exaggerated, the hard-line core demands the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union European Convention on Human Rights It's the only way to prevent judges from blocking deportation policy again.

The government says it has so far paid £240 million to Rwanda. The African country's president, Paul Kagame, told BBC TV yesterday that his government could return funds provided to the UK under the bilateral agreement if it does not finally send illegal immigrants to Rwanda.

Speaking to the public broadcaster during the leaders' summit in Davos (Switzerland), Kagame said the fact that London has not deported anyone since signing the initial agreement in April 2022 “is a problem for the UK, not for the UK.” Kingdom of Rwanda. “If they don't come, we can return the money,” the president said.