Rwanda bill: Keir Starmer attacks Tory ‘farce’ – as Rishi Sunak insists the small boats plan ‘will work’
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has attacked the “farce” playing out in the Conservative Party over the government’s Rwanda bill, claiming Rishi Sunak’s plan had been “brutally exposed” by his own MPs.
Ministers insist the scheme to deport asylum seekers who arrive via small boats is “the most robust” immigration legislation ever presented to the Commons, and will revive the plan after it was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court late last year.
But right-wing factions within the Tories want it to go even further – especially on limiting appeals and disapplying international law – and 60 MPs rebelled against the government on Tuesday night to support toughening up the bill.
Follow live: Starmer drops expletive in criticism of Rwanda plan
Further amendments are being debated today, with more rebellions on the cards for later – including threats from some senior Tories that they could vote down the bill in its entirety if ministers don’t accept their proposals.
But Mr Sunak would face further rebellion from the centrist wing of his party if he conceded to the right-wing demands.
Rishi Sunak said Labour was weak on immigration at PMQs
‘Bald men scrapping over a single broken comb’
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) shortly before the second day of debate on the legislation began, Sir Keir compared the Conservatives to “hundreds of bald men scrapping over a single broken comb”.
The Labour leader said the “open revolt” within the Tories against “his policy, each other and reality” proved the “gimmick” of the Rwanda bill was set to fail.
“It’s such utterly pathetic nonsense,” he said, adding: “If the prime minister can’t even persuade his own MPs it is worth supporting him… why on earth should anyone else think differently?”
But Mr Sunak stood by his new legislation, despite the rebellions and the criticism, telling the Commons: “I have absolute conviction that the plan we have in place will work, absolute conviction, because I think it is important that we grip this problem.”
He said it was “important that we have a working deterrent” to put asylum seekers off from making the dangerous journey, and claimed it had legal backing too.
“Four eminent KCs have said it is undoubtedly the most robust piece of immigration legislation this parliament has seen,” said the prime minister.
“And a former Supreme Court justice has been clear that the bill works too.”
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Rebels seeking Downing Street talks
His appearance at PMQs was Mr Sunak’s last chance to publicly appeal to his backbenchers to get behind the government’s plans before the second day of debate began.
However, one of the rebels, former education minister Jonathan Gullis, told Sky News earlier that he and his allies were keen to “get into 10 Downing Street today” to “talk it out and find a way forward so we can avoid colleagues choosing to either abstain or go in the opposite lobby”.
The government has offered limited concessions to the rebels, including increasing the number of judges to take on deportation appeals, and hinting they could change the civil service code to ensure ministers’ decisions over disapplying international human rights law would be followed.
But further amendments – specifically around injunctions by international courts grounding flights to Rwanda – are expected today, and more rebellions could take place.
Some Tory backbenchers have even said they are prepared to vote down the bill when it is put to parliament later this evening, including former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, Mr Gullis and ex-housing secretary Simon Clarke.
But it will take around 30 Conservatives to vote against it for the bill to fall.
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Rwanda bill ‘a bucket full of holes’
After six hours of debate on Tuesday, 60 Conservative MPs voted in defiance of the government to back amendments limiting appeals against deportation.
A second amendment around the same issue, put forward by Mr Jenrick, also secured the support of 58 Tories.
Two deputy chairmen of the Tory party and one ministerial aide quit their posts in order to back the rebels.
However, the majority of MPs from all parties voted against the proposals, meaning they were not added to the bill.
Meanwhile, at the World Economic Forum, the president of Rwanda has cast doubt on the future of the scheme.
Asked by Sky News’s Ed Conway if the deal between the two countries – costing the British government £240m so far – was working, Paul Kagame said it was a matter for the UK.
And asked if Rwanda was a safe country for refugees, he said again: “Ask the UK – it’s the UK’s problem.”
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‘Is your country safe?’
Speaking to the Guardian, however, Mr Kagame added: “There are limits for how long this can drag on.
“The money is going to be used on those people who will come. If they don’t come we can return the money.”
Opinion by: James Strudwick, executive director, Starknet Foundation
The outlook surrounding the use of new technologies has shifted in Washington. Tesla CEO and presidential adviser Elon Musk’s proposition to incorporate blockchain technology into the US Treasury has placed blockchain and its use for state finances at the forefront of the global debate. According to Musk, much of this drive is rooted in the concern over the unsustainability of current government spending. With its immutable ledgers and transparent audit trails, blockchain is waiting in the wind, offering a potential solution to managing vast public finances.
Musk advocates for a unified information system that can track real-time payments, credentials and government resources, spurring a debate within the fintech community about the pros and cons of introducing such a tool at the government level. The idea is compelling, as the description on the blockchain tin effectively promises accountability, traceability and streamlined operations. The shift here, namely to a blockchain-powered government infrastructure, presents several challenges that may prove to be beyond what the new administration has expected thus far.
Blockchain as state appendage
A concern for stakeholders orbiting the blockchain world revolves around the sheer scale of government operations. Every day, the US government handles thousands of transactions across various departments. The feasibility of Musk’s vision is put into question simply as a result of its own complexity. The provable security that blockchain technology must offer while handling millions of daily transactions without buckling under the load to succeed at this scale is enormous.
A proposed solution by Musk is a hybrid model that uses “Validium” zero-knowledge rollups. The speed and efficiency of modern ZK-rollups, which can handle hundreds of millions of transactions daily, have the potential to make sure each citizen’s share of government transactions is intact and verifiable. The technology’s rapidly evolving nature, scaling to handle even higher transaction volumes in the coming years, indicates that this could be achievable.
Unfortunately, this in itself comes with its own hurdles, particularly when integrating public services, which tend to operate in silos.
The human question
The great irony here is that Musk’s declarations of government inefficiency as a reason for the ongoing shakeups could be one of the biggest reasons not to go ahead with the plan. The real obstacle here is not so much technological as it is deeply, irrevocably human. The transition from archaic legacy systems to the more modern infrastructure of blockchain requires not just software updates but an entire reprogramming of the workforce. Government employees embedded in bureaucracy are used to outdated systems, and retraining them will be no small task.
Recent: US housing dept mulls blockchain, stablecoin to pay and monitor grants: Report
Moreover, current government databases are a labyrinth of poorly documented, indecipherable data. Extracting and migrating this data to a blockchain infrastructure is itself a task that may require serious investment. For all its elegance, blockchain wasn’t built to contend with such inefficiency. Despite its potential for handling complex, distributed environments, the difficulties present in the system itself could make the transition more complicated than the hassle is worth.
Balancing transparency and confidentiality
Transparency of federal spending is also a factor worth highlighting. The innate strength of blockchain and its much-lauded appeal is its strength. It permits citizens to track how public funds are allocated and spent. Musk’s premise could foster a so-far unseen level of accountability, which makes transactions, every delegation of power and every resource distribution visible to the public in real-time.
The problem is that sensitive government data, classified information or personal identification could be dangerously exposed on a public blockchain. Musk’s response is to try to tether sensitive data to private channels in the blockchain and ensure that only individuals with the appropriate authorization or from specific departments can access confidential information. Theoretically, this addresses the security concern while allowing blockchain’s public verifiability.
Musk’s offer could lead to a more efficient, accountable system. The social drive behind this is the longstanding criticism of wasted spending and resource misallocation. There is also a possibility of strengthening democratic processes by holding public officials more accountable. A decentralized authority has the broader impact of empowering citizens through real-time access.
There is a forward-thinking aspect to the vision. It raises a profound question. Technology could address human governance challenges, but we run the risk of a fundamental shift in how we understand privacy and accountable authority. As we question the nature of governance, it warrants careful consideration of the role of blockchain and what it could ultimately mean for the future of society as a whole.
Opinion by: James Strudwick, executive director, Starknet Foundation.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
Sir Keir Starmer has said the government has been preparing “for all eventualities” ahead of Donald Trump announcing global tariffs later on Wednesday.
The US president is set to announce details of fresh tariffs on imports into the US after he said all countries will be targeted in his bid to “rebalance” trade agreements.
Mr Trump is expected to announce 20% tariffs on most US imports on what he has called “Liberation Day”.
Politics latest: PM admits ‘pressures bearing down on businesses and working people’
Sir Keir told Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs): “We’ve been preparing for all eventualities ahead of the confirmation of US tariffs later today.
“Let me be clear with the House: a trade war is in nobody’s interest, and the country deserves, and we will take, a calm, pragmatic approach.
“That is why constructive talks are progressing to agree a wider economic prosperity deal with the US.”
He said the government is working with all industries and sectors in the UK that are likely to be impacted.
Sir Keir Starmer met Donald Trump at the White House in February. Pic: PA
The prime minister added his government “will rule nothing out” as he again hinted at retaliatory tariffs.
However, he said he believes the UK’s interests are “best served by calmly trying to secure a deal”.
On Monday, Sir Keir told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby US-UK trade talks are “well advanced” and “rapid progress” had been made.
However, he admitted it is likely “there will be tariffs” as negotiators had not managed to fend them off in time.
At PMQs, Sir Keir rejected jumping into a trade war with the US, saying: “That cannot be the first response of the United Kingdom.”
The impact of potential retaliatory tariffs from the EU on Northern Ireland was also raised, with DUP MP Gavin Robinson reminding the prime minister not to forget the unique trade situation in Northern Ireland.
He said while exports from Northern Ireland are UK exports, imports to the country could be hit by tariffs imposed by the EU as it shares a border with the European bloc.
Read more:
Trump tariffs latest – Uncertainty around world on ‘Liberation Day’
Starmer rejects ‘knee-jerk’ response to Trump tariffs
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PM holding fire on Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs
The Belfast East MP asked whether government trade teams are attempting to exempt Northern Ireland from any EU action.
Sir Keir reacted by saying what is needed is to be “calm and pragmatic”.
He added the business secretary had spoken to the Northern Ireland government on Wednesday morning, “because this is a serious issue and we need to work together to resolve the interests of everybody in Northern Ireland”.
Last week, Mr Trump said he was open to carving out deals with countries seeking to avoid US tariffs, but those agreements would be negotiated after 2 April.
He previously said he “may give a lot of countries breaks, but it’s reciprocal”, adding: “We might be even nicer than that.”
Politics
More than 400 Sikh groups call on Starmer to launch ‘promised’ inquiry on Golden Temple massacre
More than 400 Gurdwaras and Sikh organisations are calling on Sir Keir Starmer to launch an inquiry he promised into potential British involvement in the Golden Temple Massacre.
The groups have signed a letter that was sent to the prime minister urging him to follow through on a commitment made in 2022.
The calls relate to questions around what part the UK and British special forces played in the 1984 killings, in which hundreds of Sikhs died after the Indian military entered the temple complex where separatists had sought refuge.
Politics latest: PM admits ‘pressures’ as bills rise
In 2014, the UK government accidentally revealed Margaret Thatcher was aware of the Indian state’s intention to raid the temple and in the months before the raid, a British SAS officer provided advice to the Indian government.
A subsequent investigation commissioned by David Cameron found that a single officer provided advice – and there was “no evidence of UK government involvement in the operation itself”.
However, this investigation was criticised as a cover-up due to its limited scope and quick timeframe.
In 2022, Sir Keir wrote to all Gurdwaras and Sikh organisations, saying: “A future Labour government will open an independent inquiry into Britain’s military role in the Indian army’s 1984 raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar. It is important that we are open, transparent and above reproach in understanding any role the UK may have played in such events.
“This is something I know is important to our Sikh communities here and throughout the world.”
However, an announcement on the inquiry is yet to materialise.
In the letter sent to the prime minister by the Sikh Federation, seen by Sky News, Sir Keir is told: “If what is eventually proposed by a Labour government fails to deliver the ‘truth’ as promised by you this will have massive political ramifications for the Sikh community’s support for Labour in future elections for many generations.”
The federation says an inquiry “must” be announced by 31 May.
Read more:
Groups ‘disappointed’ by silence on massacre
Sikh Activists fear for their life
Sikh campaigners want Starmer to keep his word. Pic: PA
In a letter to Labour MPs, the Sikh Federation also called on them to put pressure on the government to start an inquiry.
The organisation also said it had heard “extremely worrying rumours” that the Foreign, Commonwealth And Development Office has been under pressure from the Indian government to “avoid or limit” an independent inquiry.
It added: “Civil servants are understood to be advising that a public inquiry is expensive and could damage relations with India.”
The UK is currently trying to negotiate a new trade agreement with India in the wake of Brexit. Attempts by the Conservative government failed due to a difference in position over visas.
There is a campaign among some in the Sikh community for an independent nation to be established – known as Khalistan – out of parts of the Punjab region in northern India.
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These efforts are strongly opposed by Narendra Modhi’s Hindu nationalist BJP movement.
The FCDO and Downing Street have been approached for comment.
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