Sunak urges Starmer to ‘rise above political games’ on Rwanda bill – but Tories accused of ‘fighting like rats in a sack’
Rishi Sunak has attacked Labour’s illegal migration policy as Sir Keir Starmer accused the Conservatives of “fighting like rats in a sack” over the Rwanda bill.
The prime minister called on Labour to “rise above political games” and back the emergency legislation when it comes before the Commons on Tuesday, despite battling to convince his own MPs not to oppose the new law.
Sir Keir will use a speech on the same day as the scheduled vote to say the Conservatives have lost the ability to govern and insist he “won’t let the Tories take the country down with them”.
Home Secretary James Cleverly travelled to Rwanda to sign a revised treaty after the original proposal was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court, which said there was a “real risk” migrants sent there would be returned home and put in danger.
Robert Jenrick quit as immigration minister on Wednesday over the new law, which is designed to speed up deportations and deter people from crossing the Channel on small boats.
The right of the party are awaiting the verdict of a “star chamber” of lawyers before deciding whether to oppose the bill because it doesn’t seek to override international law.
More moderate Tories are weighing up whether they can support the plans amid concerns about compelling courts to find Rwanda is a “safe” country to send asylum seekers.
Meanwhile, the attorney general has been told the bill has a “50% at best” chance of getting fights off the ground next year, according to The Times.
That assessment – said to have been signed off by Sir James Eadie, who represented the government in the Supreme Court – is reportedly based on fears that the European Court of Human Rights would block flights, as it did in June.
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Rwanda bill explained
Read more:
UK paid Rwanda extra £100m for asylum deal
What has government agreed with new Rwanda deportation treaty?
Braverman urges Sunak to ‘change course’ over Rwanda bill
Mr Sunak insisted the law would be a “significant step” towards securing UK borders, “thwarting the evil trade of the smuggling gangs” and stopping the “injustice of illegal migration”.
“People in this country care deeply about stopping the boats, he said.
“A government that governs in their interest must act on these entirely legitimate concerns.”
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‘My patience has worn thin, right?’
Mr Sunak said the opposition are “not fit to govern” because “they have no plans to tackle illegal immigration”.
He claimed illegal migration would rise under a Labour government which would agree a “burden sharing agreement for asylum seekers with the EU” and accused the party’s leader of having “blocked the deportation of dangerous criminals”.
“This week, Labour needs for once to rise above political games,” he said.
“They need for once to stop acting in their short-term interests. They need to act in the national interest.
“The Conservatives are on the public’s side – and we will push on with our plan to stop the boats.”
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Starmer challenges PM over Rwanda
‘Miserable chapter of decline’
With a big lead in the polls, Sir Keir will deliver a speech on Tuesday to pitch his “fundamentally changed” Labour as a party that is ready to govern, arguing that the Tory infighting is not just limited to the party’s Rwanda policy but “a cultural stain running through the modern Conservative Party”.
“While they’re all swanning around self-importantly, in their factions and their ‘star chambers’, fighting like rats in a sack, there’s a country out here that isn’t being governed,” he is expected to say.
“It is time to come together, to turn the page on this miserable chapter of decline, and walk towards a decade of national renewal,” he is set to say.
“I have dragged this Labour Party back to service, and I will do the same to British politics. I won’t let the Tories drag our country down with them. We cannot and will not let them kick the hope out of our future.”
The speech will also coincide with the four-year anniversary of the 2019 general election, which saw Boris Johnson lead the Conservatives to a huge common’s majority against Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour.
Sir Keir will say: “You know that this is a party that has fundamentally changed. Not just a paint job, but a total overhaul. A different Labour Party, driven by your values. By British values.”
The US Labor Department has officially rescinded guidance issued during the Biden administration that limited the inclusion of cryptocurrency in 401(k) retirement plans.
On May 28, the Labor Department revoked a 2022 guidance that had urged fiduciaries to be “extremely cautious” when considering cryptocurrency for 401(k) retirement plans. The move could give asset managers more flexibility to include digital assets in retirement investment options.
The government agency removed the guidance asserting that it represented a departure from the department’s “historically neutral, principled-based approach to fiduciary investment decisions.”
“We’re rolling back this overreach and making it clear that investment decisions should be made by fiduciaries, not D.C. bureaucrats,” said US Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
The Labor Department under Biden criticized the practice of marketing cryptocurrencies to 401(k) participants. At the time, the agency claimed cryptocurrencies posed “significant risks and challenges” to participants’ retirement accounts due to their “speculative and volatile” nature and “valuation concerns,” among other reasons.
The American Banking Association (ABA) criticized the 2022 compliance release, claiming that it did not make the guidance available for public comment and review prior to issuance.
Related: Fidelity introduces retirement accounts with minimal-fee crypto investing
Trump administration shifts crypto landscape
President Trump has pledged to make the United States “the world capital of crypto” during his 2024 campaign.
Under his administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission has scaled back several enforcement actions and investigations involving Web3 companies such as Uniswap, Coinbase, and Kraken, while also engaging in policy discussions on topics like real-world asset tokenization and the regulatory status of certain tokens.
At the same time, some lawmakers have expressed concerns about Trump’s involvement in the crypto space, including calls for greater scrutiny of his associated ventures.
Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions
Bilal Bin Saqib, head of Pakistan’s crypto council, announced on May 28 that the country is moving to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve.
Speaking at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, Saqib said the government of Pakistan followed the United States’ lead in establishing a Bitcoin strategic reserve and is embracing pro-crypto regulatory policies. The government official told the audience:
“Today is a very historic day. Today, I announce the Pakistani government is setting up its own government-led Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, and we want to thank the United States of America again because we were inspired by them.”
The announcement represents a significant departure from the government of Pakistan’s previous stance on cryptocurrencies, holding that crypto would never be legal in the country.
Pakistan’s shift reflects the broader trend of nation-states adopting pro-crypto policies following the regulatory shift in Washington, DC under the President Donald Trump administration.
Related: Pakistan appoints special assistant to PM on blockchain and crypto
United States Vice President JD Vance took the stage to deliver a keynote address at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, encouraging Bitcoiners to deepen their involvement in politics.
Vance highlighted the strategic and geopolitical importance of Bitcoin, emphasizing that the US should maintain leadership in the crypto industry to remain competitive in the age of digital finance. Vance told the audience:
“What happens in the world of politics, what happens in the world of bureaucracy, will affect even the most transformational and valuable technologies if we do not make the right decisions. The first thing that I would ask you, is to take the momentum of your political involvement in 2024 and carry it forward to 2026 and beyond.”
“Don’t ignore politics because I guarantee you, my friends, politics is not going to ignore this community, not now, and not in the future,” the vice president continued.
Bitcoin continues to gain institutional legitimacy and has been elevated to an asset class with macroeconomic and geopolitical importance. Market analysts and Bitcoin advocates warn that the global race to acquire BTC is underway between sovereign powers.
Related: Crypto czar Sacks says US could possibly ‘acquire more Bitcoin’
Nation-state Bitcoin adoption
Bitcoin maximalists and market analysts argue that high-stakes game theory compels nation-states to adopt BTC due to the downside or opportunity cost of not adopting the scarce digital asset as sovereign competitors do.
This alleged nation-state’s fear of missing out (FOMO) was amplified by US President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance, including the creation of a Bitcoin strategic reserve and a crypto advisory council.
The regulatory shift in the United States prompted other governments to indicate a possible policy reset on cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin.
The government of India, for instance, is reconsidering its crypto policies in response to regulatory changes in the US. India’s economic affairs secretary, Ajay Seth, said that digital assets do not care about borders.
Magazine: Danger signs for Bitcoin as retail abandons it to institutions: Sky Wee
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