Tory rebellion over Illegal Migration Bill seen off by government for now
A rebellion that was simmering among Tory MPs over the government’s Illegal Migration Bill appears to have been quashed for the time being.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman was believed to have held discussions with her colleagues in parliament ahead of a major debate on the controversial legislation, which aims to stop migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats.
Both liberal and right-wing Conservatives had signalled misgivings with the bill, with several putting their names to amendments.
In its current form, the legislation would mean asylum seekers arriving through unauthorised channels are detained without bail or judicial review for 28 days.
They would then be ‘swiftly removed’ to their home country or a ‘safe third country’ such as Rwanda.
While some of the party’s MPs believe more efforts should be made to ensure removals are not blocked by the European Court of Human Rights, others want safe routes to be established for asylum seekers.
Reaction to the proposals has also been furious outside parliament, with both Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ms Braverman being heckled earlier today.
As the pair walked around Essex, a woman shouted ‘allow migrants into our country’, before adding: ‘Go away, we don’t want you here.’
Ahead of the bill coming back to the House of Commons for its committee stage today, Mr Sunak was bracing for the possibility of the biggest Conservative rebellion of his premiership so far.
But this morning, policing minister Chris Philp said: ‘My understanding is that the various amendments to strengthen the bill aren’t going to be pushed to a vote today or tomorrow.
‘They are being discussed between those people who proposed the amendments and the government, and the home secretary in particular.
‘I know the home secretary is keen to make sure this bill is effective.’
Among the would-be rebels was Danny Kruger, who had said he wanted provisions in the bill to ‘operate notwithstanding any orders of the Strasbourg court or any other international body’.
Last year, the European Court of Human Rights – based in Strasbourg – granted an injunction that effectively grounded a flight sending asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda.
Mr Kruger joined his Tory MP colleagues Simon Clarke and Jonathan Gullis in putting forward amendments that they said would be ‘necessary for the bill to function’.
Figures within the party have denied reports that the home secretary is secretly backing the right-wing rebellion in order to pressure the prime minister to toughen up the legislation.
Tim Loughton, who is among the leaders of the parliamentary movement, told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme: ‘I have absolutely no evidence of that.
‘And whatever you want to call the Home Secretary, she’s certainly nobody’s puppet.’
On his visit to Essex, Mr Sunak said: ‘The home secretary and I have worked incredibly closely for the last two months to get the legislation exactly right.’
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