PM facing further rebellions over Rwanda – as minister promises to ‘listen’ to angry Tories
The prime minister could be facing further rebellions from his backbenchers today as MPs return to the Commons to carry on debating the Rwanda bill.
The government insists the proposed legislation – aimed at deterring asylum seekers from crossing the Channel in small boats – is the toughest immigration law in history and will revive the scheme after the UK’s Supreme Court ruled it unlawful late last year.
But some Conservative MPs on the right of the party claim it does not go far enough, pushing for harder measures to limit appeals from asylum seekers and to block any rulings from international courts.
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‘Unity of purpose’ in Tory party, claims minister
Last night, two deputy chairmen of the Tory party and one ministerial aide quit their posts in order to back rebel amendments put forward by veteran MP Sir Bill Cash and former immigration minister Robert Jenrick.
While the amendments were rejected overall by MPs, 60 Conservatives voted in defiance of the government – with further backbench proposals being tabled today.
An overall vote on the bill is also scheduled for this evening, and if around 30 Conservatives vote against it, the legislation could fall.
Rishi Sunak will also have to face scrutiny on the bill’s divisiveness at Prime Minister’s Questions later.
Mr Jenrick told Sky News’s Beth Rigby he was “prepared” to vote the law down if his more “robust” amendments weren’t adopted.
Tory MP Mark Francois also told our political editor the numbers “speak for themselves”, and he hoped the government “will listen and take stock”.
Illegal immigration minister Michael Tomlinson MP spoke to Sky News on Wednesday
But illegal immigration minister Michael Tomlinson insisted all the MPs in his party had a “unity of purpose” and were “determined” for the Rwanda bill to work.
He told Sky News he would be “listening respectfully to colleagues” and he “completely understands” their concerns, adding: “If you listened and heard and saw what [the rebels] said, they are determined that this policy works.
“They support the prime minister in his aim to stop the boats. He is the one who has the plan to stop the boats.”
The minister continued: “We will see more robust debate in the chamber of the House of Commons this afternoon.
“But I know how my colleagues feel… their concerns are my concerns. And I’m determined that we can get this legislation through, that we can stop the boats, because we have a plan to do that.”
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‘PM is determined to stop the boats’
Speaking to reporters, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt also tried to calm the mood, saying: “We are united in the Conservative Party in our belief we need to solve this problem [of Channel crossings].
“Of course, we have lively debates inside the party about how to deliver the Rwanda policy.
“But the big picture is there’s only one major party in British politics that wants to make Rwanda work. That’s the Conservative Party.”
However, Labour’s shadow culture secretary, Thangam Debbonaire, said the internal Tory row showed the “incredibly weak leadership” of Mr Sunak, who couldn’t get his MPs to vote as one last night.
“His plan keeps stumbling,” she told Sky News. “It literally seems to be his only policy at the moment.
“But he isn’t stopping the boats. Nearly 30,000 people came over on small boats last year. He pledged that it would stop in 2023. That’s not stopping it.”
Asked if there would definitely be a vote on the overall bill amid rumours Number 10 could pull it rather than face defeat, Mr Tomlinson focused on procedure – explaining how the parliamentary timetable would allow the vote if the bill remained unamended.
There has also been no hint that Mr Sunak is willing to concede to the rebel demands as of yet, as not only does the government believe it would risk Rwanda pulling out of the scheme, but Conservatives from the more centrist wing of the party have threatened their own rebellion if the law goes too far.
Rory McIlroy has completed a career Grand Slam in golf with his win at the US Masters tournament.
The Masters was the last major tournament left for McIlroy to complete the modern golf Grand Slam – a feat only five others have managed before him.
McIlroy, who was making his 11th attempt at completing the Grand Slam, faced off Justin Rose in a sudden-death playoff to decide the Masters champion, after they finished tied on 11 under at the end of regulation on Sunday.
McIlroy reacts as he wins. Pic: AP
McIlroy reacts after winning against Justin Rose at the Masters. Pic: AP
“It’s my 17th time here and I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said just before slipping on the Green Jacket during the presentation ceremony.
“I’m just absolutely honoured and thrilled and just so proud to be able to call myself a Masters champion.”
McIlroy had missed his six-foot putt for par, a bogey which dropped him back to 11 under, where he joined Rose – leading to a dramatic play-off between the two.
Only five other golfers have been able to complete a career Grand Slam, including Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
Pic: AP
McIlroy is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship, claiming the prize in 2012 and 2014.
The 35-year-old also won his first major title, the US Open, in 2011, and won The Open Championship in 2014.
How did McIlroy get to the victory?
McIlroy recovered from losing his overnight two-shot advantage with an opening-hole double bogey to initially take control at Augusta National, only to blow a four-shot lead over his closing six holes.
The world No 2 bogeyed the last to close a one-over 73 and slip back to 11 under alongside Rose, who overturned a seven-stroke deficit and posted a stunning final-round 66 to force a play-off.
The players returned to the 18th for the play-off, where McIlroy made amends for his 72nd-hole blunder by firing a stunning approach to within three feet of the pin and making the birdie putt required for a life-changing win.
UK
Race to keep British Steel furnaces running with last-minute efforts to secure raw materials under way
Last-minute efforts to keep British Steel operating are to be carried out today, as the plant races to secure a supply of raw materials.
The Department for Business and Trade said officials are working to secure supplies of materials, including coking coal, to keep British Steel operational, as well as to ensure all staff will be paid.
It added that setting up new supply chains was “crucial” as a fall in blast furnace temperature could risk “irreparable damage to the site, with the steel setting and scarring the machinery”.
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British Steel: What happens next?
Companies including Tata – which ran the now-closed Port Talbot steelworks – and Rainham Steel have offered managerial support and materials to keep the Lincolnshire site running.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement that “when I said steelmaking has a future in the UK, I meant it”.
“Steel is vital for our national security and our ambitious plans for the housing, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the UK,” he added.
“We will set out a long-term plan to co-invest with the private sector to ensure steel in the UK has a bright and sustainable future.”
Unions said Jingye decided to cancel orders of key materials for the steelworks
Earlier this month, unions said the steelwork’s owner, Chinese company Jingye, decided to cancel future orders for the iron ore, coal and other raw materials needed to keep the furnaces running.
It meant the Scunthorpe plant had been on course to close down by May, bit it sparked urgent calls for government intervention.
Emergency legislation was passed on Saturday bringing the steelworks into effective government control, and officials were on site as soon as the new legislation came into force.
However, the business secretary has warned that does not mean the plant is guaranteed to survive.
Appearing on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Mr Reynolds also said he would not bring a Chinese company into the “sensitive” steel sector again.
“I don’t know… the Boris Johnson government when they did this, what exactly the situation was,” he added. “But I think it’s a sensitive area.”
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‘I wouldn’t bring a Chinese company into our steel sector’
Jingye stepped in with a deal to buy British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant out of insolvency in 2020, when Mr Johnson was prime minister.
The minister added that while The Steel Industry (Special Measures) Bill stops short of the full nationalisation of British Steel, “to be frank, as I said to parliament yesterday, it is perhaps at this stage the likely option”.
The Conservatives accused the government of acting “too late” and implementing a “botched nationalisation” after ignoring warnings about the risk to the steelworks.
Read more:
A sticking plaster, not a solution: What next for British Steel?
How Trump, China and Reform all played their part
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith said: “The Labour Government have landed themselves in a steel crisis entirely of their own making.
“They’ve made poor decisions and let the unions dictate their actions.”
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