Rishi Sunak faces 'Conservative meltdown' over Rwanda bill
Boris Johnson and Lee Anderson join Tory rebels who want migrant policy strengthened

Former prime minister Boris Johnson has joined a mounting revolt by right-wing Conservative MPs against Rishi Sunak's Rwanda bill.
Sunak is facing a Tory rebellion over concerns that his Rwanda migration policy will be "scuppered" because, in its current form, the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill allows asylums seekers to lodge individual legal challenges against their deportation, said The Times.
The PM faced a major "blow" to his authority over the weekend, said the BBC, when two deputy chairs of the Tory party, Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, joined more than 60 MPs in backing amendments to the bill, which will return to the Commons tomorrow. And a further intervention from Johnson, whose administration introduced the Rwanda scheme, has left Sunak facing a "Conservative meltdown", said The Guardian.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Government insiders believe the bill will pass the committee stage on Tuesday without amendments, but the third reading on Wednesday will be a "steeper challenge", as it would take just 29 Tory MPs to rebel, or 57 to abstain, for the bill to fail.
In an attempt to stave off revolt, Downing Street may announce plans to move 150 judges to the upper tribunal – the body that will hear individual legal appeals lodged by asylum seekers under the new legislation – in order to "fast-track" the process, according to The Times. But former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, as well as allies of leading Conservative rebels, told the Financial Times that the plans "did not go far enough".
Even if Sunak does manage to get the bill passed, the "bigger problem for the PM is the rot", said Sky News's Beth Rigby. His government will face individual court battles and "perhaps a tussle" with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. And if in the end his policy doesn't work, he'll "face the wrath not just of many of his MPs but many former Conservative voters too".
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.
-
Cocktail of the summer: the Hugo spritz
The Week Recommends The refreshing elderflower-based tipple is giving Aperol a run for its money
-
How the Erin Patterson mushroom trial caught the world's attention
In the Spotlight Australian woman who laced beef wellington with deadly mushrooms found guilty of murder
-
The failed bombings of 21/7
The Explainer The unsuccessful attacks 'unnerved' London and led to a tragic mistake
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
How would the Trump administration denaturalize immigrant citizens?
Today's Big Question Using civil courts lowers the burden of proof
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
Are masked ICE agents America's new secret police?
Today's Big Question Critics say masks undermine trust in law enforcement
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage