Rishi Sunak had doubts the government’s Rwanda asylum scheme would stop small boat crossings while he was chancellor, according to documents seen by Sky News.
The Number 10 papers, prepared in March 2022 shortly before the Rwanda plan was first announced, also suggest the prime minister wanted to scale back the plans.
In a further sign of discontent among Tory ranks, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick told Sky News on Saturday he will “lay amendments” to the bill if Mr Sunak doesn’t make them “sufficiently robust”.
A government source said Mr Sunak has put the Rwanda policy at the heart of his plan for government, and as chancellor, funded the scheme.
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PM avoids damaging Rwanda bill defeat
The documents state the “chancellor wants to pursue smaller volumes initially” of people being sent to Rwanda with “500 instead of 1.5k this year, and 3k instead of 5k, in years two or three”.
Briefing papers prepared for a meeting involving then prime minister Boris Johnson and Mr Sunak also suggest the then chancellor thought the “deterrent won’t work” and there would be more boat crossings in the summer.
A separate document from Downing Street summarising Mr Sunak’s position stated he was “refusing to fund any non-detained accommodation (eg Greek-style reception centres) because hotels are cheaper”.
The papers suggest Mr Sunak was instead in favour of increasing the “dispersal of people out of hotels into private sector accommodation” around the country.
One e-mail also shows Number 10 suggesting “Rishi may want to consider how his popularity might fare with the base” if he did not agree to the Rwanda plan and other policy changes.
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The leaked documents are likely to add to the concerns of these MPs that Mr Sunak is not willing to do what it takes to put the policy into action.
Mr Jenrick, who resigned from his post citing “strong disagreements” with the government over the Rwanda policy, appeared optimistic about the prime minister’s ability to pull off the Rwanda plan – but said it must “actually work”.
“I know the prime minister very well and I believe that he does see the urgent need to control our borders to get the Rwanda plan up and running – because that’s such a critical element to stopping the small boat crossings,” he told Sky News.
“I hope that he will strengthen the bill that’s coming through parliament, and I’ve been very clear that if he doesn’t do that then I will lay amendments to the bill next week to make sure that it is sufficiently robust to do the job that the British public expect.”
He added he “doesn’t care if it’s not the strongest piece of legislation that we’ve ever done” as long as it “does the job”.
“We’ve done three pieces of legislation in as many years, I’ve said it before – it’s three strikes or you’re out, we’ve got to make sure that this one works,” he said.
Meanwhile, Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds told Sky News the documents showed Mr Sunak was “aware of some of [the] problems” with the Rwanda policy but had done “nothing about them because of his focus on internal Conservative Party management”.
Leaks will not allay fears of Sunak ‘going soft’ on illegal boat crossings
The coming weeks will likely see the prime minister bring back legislation to the Commons he hopes will address legal concerns raised by the Supreme Court about the Rwanda scheme.
A full-blown rebellion on the bill was staved off last month, but many backbenchers want more and are hoping for compromises from Downing Street.
The revelation that when chancellor Mr Sunak apparently had doubts about the viability of the Rwanda scheme will only add to the concerns some MPs have about whether the prime minister is prepared to do what it takes – as they see it anyway – to get flights off the ground to Kigali.
It also follows reports the Home Secretary James Cleverly initially described the asylum plan in colourfully disparaging terms.
Remember, he is only in his job because Suella Braverman was sacked.
She was quickly followed out of the Home Office by the immigration minister Robert Jenrick.
Both want Rishi Sunak to go further and worry the government more broadly has gone soft on the issue.
Oleksandr Usyk has become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world after defeating Tyson Fury in boxing’s biggest fight of the century.
The Ukrainian won on a split decision following the match in Saudi Arabia.
Usyk had 115-112 and 114-113 on two cards, while Fury took the other 114-113.
Fury disputed his loss after the match, saying: “I believe I won that fight. I believe he won a few rounds but I won more of them.
“Make no mistake I won that fight and I’ll be back.”
In response Usyk said he was “ready for a rematch”.
Fury came under early pressure, with Usyk taking the centre of the ring with an aggressive offensive from the start.
At one point Fury was pushed against the ropes and started laughing as Usyk applied pressure.
The “Gypsy King” looked relaxed as he moved around the ring in the early rounds and picked his shots.
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But after Usyk landed a right hook in the ninth round it looked as if Fury was in serious trouble. The Ukrainian followed up by unloading freely but somehow the bookmakers’ favourite stayed on his feet and was saved by the bell.
Last night, Fury weighed in at 262lbs (18st 10lbs) – nearly three stone heavier than Usyk, who clocked in at a career heaviest of 223lbs (15st 13lbs).
Fury refused to look at his opponent during a news conference on Thursday, but did not back down at the weigh-in last night, where the pair almost came to blows before being separated by their entourages.
Usyk arrived into the ring first, dressed as a Cossack warrior.
Fury entered to songs by Barry White and Bonnie Tyler, with the “Gypsy King” spending several minutes dancing on stage before the song changed to Holding Out For A Hero.
Anthony Joshua watched from the ringside, knowing he could meet the winner early next year.
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Thousands of homes have had their boiling water restrictions lifted after a water tank infected with cryptosporidium was drained and cleaned, South West Water has said.
About 16,000 households in the Brixham area of Devon were told to boil their drinking water following 46 confirmed cases of the disease.
On Saturday afternoon South West Water lifted the boiling restrictions for 14,500 homes after water quality monitoring results found no traces of cryptosporidium in the Alston supply area.
Cryptosporidiosis is caused by a tiny parasite and can lead to vomiting, stomach cramps and watery diarrhoea lasting about two weeks.
South West Water believes the parasite probably entered supplies through a damaged pipe in a field containing animal faeces.
A contaminated water tank at Hillhead reservoir, where cryptosporidium was detected, was drained overnight and “thoroughly cleaned” on Saturday, South West Water said.
One local resident said she knew of only four houses out of 21 in Raddicombe Close, on the outskirts of Brixham, which have not had at least one person fall ill with cryptosporidiosis.
The local MP has warned “heads are going to roll” over the incident.
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Tory MP Anthony Mangnall, whose constituency includes Brixham, told LBC: “This is such a serious matter that yes, I think heads are going to roll over this.”
He claimed the supplier had been too slow to issue its safety alert.
Mr Mangnall said: “From starting this week with a denial from South West Water that it was anything to do with them, delaying the fact that the boil water notice came in – meaning thousands of people used the water network – to then issuing it on Wednesday, and there are a lot of people who are very ill.”
He called it an “absolutely disastrous week” and said locals were furious.
South West Water has said it’s “deeply sorry” and that it’s been “working tirelessly” to identify the source of the problem and fix it.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused the government of not doing enough to hold water companies to account.
He told Sky News the firms were “putting profit over the environment, over public health” after multiple cases of sewage being released into rivers and seas.
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The confirmed cases of a waterborne disease caused by a parasite have more than doubled.
There are now 46 confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis, a diarrhoeal illness, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said – with more than 100 further people reporting similar symptoms in the Brixham area.
Other reported cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in residents and visitors to the south Devon town are also under investigation. Hundreds of locals have also reported feeling unwell over the last two weeks on social media.
MPs and South West Water officials have confirmed the parasite most likely entered water supplies through animal faeces, but an investigation is still ongoing.
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‘Cow faeces’ infected Devon water
The UKHSA first confirmed cases of the disease at around midday on Wednesday, while locals were initially told by South West Water that their tap water was uncontaminated and safe to drink.
But after testing supplies in the Hillhead reservoir, the water company found “small traces” of the parasite cryptosporidium – which causes cryptosporidiosis – and told residents in parts of Brixham and Alston to boil their drinking water on Wednesday.
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A total of 16,000 households and businesses in Brixham, Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and North West Paignton were impacted and offered £15 compensation at first.
Over the next two days, South West Water apologised to those affected and increased the offer to £115. Amid the chaos, one primary school closed its doors on Thursday due to not having safe running drinking water.
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‘Very hard questions for water company’
Speaking to Sky News yesterday, South West Water’s chief customer officer Laura Flowerdew confirmed it was likely a broken air valve contaminated by animal faeces that had caused the outbreak.
However, she refused to give a timeframe on how long the incident would be ongoing – leaving thousands of residents facing an uncertain future.
Speaking on Friday at the University of Exeter, Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said there will be “very, very hard questions” for South West Water over the outbreak.
“At the moment I think we probably need to give them the space to conduct their investigation; we know that they have identified the source,” she said.
“The public will want to know how on earth that source happened, what was the chain of events that led to this, because of course we all understand the expectation that we all have when we turn our taps on is that [we get] clean drinking water and we want to be able to trust it.”
Totnes MP Anthony Mangnall also warned the boil notice could last “at least a further six or seven days” and called for more transparency.
Professor Paul Hunter, a specialist in medical microbiology at the University of East Anglia, told Sky News if the parasite was “a continuous thing” present in water supplies for a prolonged period, then “you’d expect to see more cases” for another two weeks.
It comes as hotel owners in the area told Sky News the outbreak has led to people cancelling their stay, while a head chef said “I can’t wash salad in the sink”.
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Stephen Colemansfield, owner of Redlands Guest House in Brixham, told Sky News the outbreak has “destroyed our business at the moment”.
“Our guests have cancelled because of the mixed messages that are being sent out by South West Water.”
Rob, head chef at the Steam Packet Inn in Kingswear near Dartmouth, also said his brother-in-law is one of the 46 confirmed cases of cryptosporidiosis and has been sick for two weeks.
The UKHSA is working with Torbay Council, South West Water, NHS Devon and the Environment Agency on the incident.