Rwanda bill: Relief for Rishi Sunak as legislation passes final Commons hurdle

Published

1 year ago

January 18, 2024

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Rishi Sunak has seen off a Tory rebellion after his controversial Rwanda bill passed its final hurdle in the Commons.

The bill, which aims to declare that Rwanda is a safe country to deport asylum seekers to, passed by 320 votes to 276 – a majority of 44 for the government.

In total only 11 Tory MPs voted against the bill, including former home secretary Suella Braverman, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, Sir Bill Cash, Sir Simon Clarke, Sarah Dines, James Duddridge, Mark Francois, Andrea Jenkyns, David Jones and co-chairs of the New Conservatives, Danny Kruger and Miriam Cates.

Politics live: Threat of early election sees rebels help PM’s Rwanda plan clear vote
How did your MP vote on the bill? Find out here

Eighteen Conservative MPs abstained on the bill, including Lee Anderson – who resigned as deputy party chair in protest over the legislation yesterday – former prime minister Theresa May and veteran MP Sir John Hayes.

The bill’s passage came despite the threat of a revolt among Tory MPs, with seven initially saying they would vote against it at third reading, including Ms Braverman and Mr Jenrick.

Mr Sunak had been prepared for a collision with right-wing Tories over the bill, which is aimed at reviving his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda if they attempt to come to the UK via small boat crossings in the Channel.

The bill, which is designed to enable parliament to confirm Rwanda is a “safe country”, gives ministers the powers to disregard sections of the Human Rights Act, but does not go as far as allowing them to dismiss the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) entirely – a demand of some on the right.

However, speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, one of the rebels, said he ultimately decided to vote in favour of the bill because it was “better than the status quo”.

“After the difficulties of the last few days, the Tory party has come together,” he added.

“Almost everybody in the Tory party wants people who’ve come here illegally to be removed to Rwanda, that is a point of unity.”

Although the bill has passed its third reading, one Tory source also told Sky News ahead of the vote that the prime minister was “by no means out of the woods”.

After passing the third reading in the Commons, the bill will now go through the same process in the House of Lords, where peers are expected to amend the legislation, which will then be debated and voted on.

A process known as parliamentary “ping pong” is likely to ensure when the legislation bounces between the Commons and Lords – where the government does not have a majority – while being amended.

During the debate on the legislation on Wednesday night, MPs considered a series of amendments designed to toughen up the bill before voting on the bill as a whole.

One, proposed by Mr Jenrick, demanded that rule 39 orders from Strasbourg judges should not be binding for the UK.

In June 2022 it was a rule 39 order – which have been referred to as “pyjama injunctions” for the late time at which they are often issued – that prevented the first flight to Rwanda from taking off.

While MPs overall rejected Mr Jenrick’s amendment by a majority of 469 votes, the rebellion was significant – with 67 MPs voting for it.

That included 61 Tory MPs, including the two tellers who verify the count, in an expression of their unhappiness with elements of the bill.

Downing Street had been engaging with MPs with doubts about the legislation after Mr Sunak suffered the resignation of three MPs – Mr Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, deputy chairs of the Conservative Party, and Jane Stevenson, a parliamentary private secretary in the Department for Business and Trade.

The MPs resigned after they backed amendments put forward by veteran MP Sir Bill Cash and Mr Jenrick on Tuesday night.

A Number 10 spokesman said the passing of the bill “marks a major step in our plan to stop the boats”.

“This is the toughest legislation ever introduced in parliament to tackle illegal migration and will make clear that if you come here illegally you will not be able to stay,” they said.

“It is this government and the Conservative Party who have got boat crossings down by more than a third.

“We have a plan, we have made progress and this landmark legislation will ensure we get flights off to Rwanda, deter people from making perilous journeys across the channel and stop the boats.”

Politics

Starmer and Trump discuss ‘productive negotiations’ towards US-UK trade deal, Downing Street says

Published

9 hours ago

March 30, 2025

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Starmer and Trump discuss 'productive negotiations' towards US-UK 'prosperity' deal

Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have discussed the “productive negotiations” towards a UK-US “economic prosperity deal”, Downing Street has said.

The two leaders discussed a possible deal in a phone call on Sunday and agreed negotiations will “continue at pace”, according to a statement.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke to president Trump this evening.

“The president opened by wishing His Majesty the King best wishes and good health.

“They discussed the productive negotiations between their respective teams on a UK-US economic prosperity deal, agreeing that these will continue at pace this week.

“Discussing Ukraine, the prime minister updated the president on the productive discussions at the meeting of the Coalition of Willing in Paris this week. The leaders agreed on the need to keep up the collective pressure on Putin.

“They agreed to stay in touch in the coming days.”

Earlier this week, Mr Trump announced a new 25% tariff on all imported cars – threatening UK producers’ largest single export market.

Signing an executive order on Wednesday, Mr Trump said the tax would kick in on 2 April – what he has called “liberation day”.

British manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover, Bentley, Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce stand to be worst affected by the tariffs.

But the government has signalled it would not retaliate – mirroring its response to the tariffs on steel and aluminium imposed globally by the Trump administration earlier this month.

Tariffs are a key part of Mr Trump’s efforts to reshape global trade relations.

He plans to impose what he calls “reciprocal” taxes on “liberation day” that would match tariffs and sales taxes levied by other nations. The extent of potential tariffs and countries affected remains unclear.

He has already placed a 20% tax on all imports from China.

He also placed 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, with a lower 10% tariff on Canadian energy products in addition to the duties on all steel and aluminium imports, including those from the UK.

The two leaders spoke last Sunday in a “brief call” about the economic prosperity deal, and again nearly three weeks ago ahead of the US-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Starmer and Mr Trump appeared to have a warm personal relationship when they met in the Oval Office last month.

But just a day later, the US president along with vice president JD Vance delivered a dressing down to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy – marking a major shift in the US approach to Ukraine and cementing Mr Starmer’s position as a bridge between Europe and the US in the peace talks.

Mr Starmer and Mr Trump also spoke twice before they met in person.

Politics

‘Two-tier justice’ row: Government plans to change law to overrule Sentencing Council

Published

11 hours ago

March 30, 2025

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'Two-tier justice' row: Government plans to change law to overrule Sentencing Council

The government plans to change the law so it can overrule Sentencing Council guidelines following a row over “two-tier justice”, Sky News understands.

The independent Sentencing Council, which sets out sentencing guidance to courts in England and Wales, has been at odds with Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood for weeks after it updated its guidance.

It said that from April, a pre-sentence report, the results of which are taken into account when considering a criminal’s sentence, will “usually be necessary” before handing out punishment for someone from an ethnic, cultural or faith minority, alongside other groups such as young adults aged 18 to 25, women and pregnant women.

Conservative shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick called the guidance “two-tier justice” and said there was “blatant bias” against Christians and straight white men, as he said it would make “a custodial sentence less likely for those from an ethnic minority, cultural minority, and/or faith minority community”.

Ms Mahmood had called on the Sentencing Council to reverse the guidance, but it refused, which Sir Keir Starmer said he was “disappointed” with, and the justice secretary called “unacceptable”.

Before the weekend, Sir Keir said “all options are on the table” over how the government might respond.

But sources have now told Sky News the Ministry of Justice plans to legislate at the “earliest opportunity” to be able to overrule sentencing guidelines.

Ministers could introduce the legislation as early as Monday so they can “push it through parliament”, so the current guidelines can be changed quickly.

Until the law is changed so the government can dismiss the Sentencing Council guidelines, the body can plough ahead with the changes as it is independent of the state.

In reply to Ms Mahmood’s letter calling for a reversal, the Sentencing Council’s chair, Lord Justice William Davis, said on Friday that the reforms reflect evidence of disparities in sentencing outcomes, disadvantages faced within the criminal justice system and complexities in the circumstances of individual offenders.

He said pre-sentence reports allow judges to be “better equipped” to “avoid a difference in outcome based on ethnicity”.

“The cohort of ethnic, cultural and faith minority groups may be a cohort about which judges and magistrates are less well informed,” he added.

Sky News has contacted the Sentencing Council for a comment on the potential law changes.

Politics

Trump’s trade war pressures crypto market as April 2 tariffs loom

Published

16 hours ago

March 30, 2025

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Trump’s trade war pressures crypto market as April 2 tariffs loom

Concerns over a global trade war continue to pressure traditional and cryptocurrency markets as investors brace for a potential tariff announcement from US President Donald Trump on April 2 — a move that could set the tone for Bitcoin’s price trajectory throughout the month.

Trump first announced import tariffs on Chinese goods on Jan. 20, the day of his inauguration as president.

Global tariff fears have led to heightened inflation concerns, limiting appetite for risk assets among investors. Bitcoin (BTC) has fallen 18%, and the S&P 500 (SPX) index has fallen more than 7% in the two months following the initial tariff announcement, according to TradingView data, TradingView data shows.

“Going forward, April 2 is drawing increased attention as a potential flashpoint for fresh US tariff announcements,” Stella Zlatareva, dispatch editor at digital asset investment platform Nexo, told Cointelegraph.

Investor sentiment took another hit on March 29 after Trump pressed his senior advisers to take a more aggressive stance on import tariffs, which may be seen as a potential escalation of the trade war, the Washington Post reported, citing four unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The April 2 announcement is expected to detail reciprocal trade tariffs targeting top US trading partners. The measures aim to reduce the country’s estimated $1.2 trillion goods trade deficit and boost domestic manufacturing.

Bitcoin ETFs, whales continue accumulating

Despite mounting uncertainty, large Bitcoin holders — known as “whales,” with between 1,000 BTC and 10,000 BTC — have continued to accumulate.

Addresses in this category have remained steady since the beginning of 2025, from 1,956 addresses on Jan. 1 to over 1,990 addresses on March 27 — still below the previous cycle’s peak of 2,370 addresses recorded in February 2024, Glassnode data shows.

“Risk appetite remains muted amid tariff threats from President Trump and ongoing macro uncertainty,” according to Iliya Kalchev, dispatch analyst at Nexo, who told Cointelegraph:

“Still, BTC accumulation by whales and a 10-day ETF inflow streak point to steady institutional demand. But hawkish surprises — from inflation or trade — may keep crypto rangebound into April.”

The US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds halted their 10-day accumulation streak on March 28 when Fidelity’s ETF recorded over $93 million worth of outflows, while the other ETF issuers registered no inflows or outflows, Farside Investors data shows.

Despite short-term volatility concerns, analysts remained optimistic about Bitcoin’s price trajectory for late 2025, with price predictions ranging from $160,000 to above $180,000.