Tory deputy chairman ’30p Lee’ Anderson says Rishi Sunak should ‘ignore’ the Supreme Court ruling and ‘put the planes in the air now’ to send migrants to Rwanda
Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson today urged Rishi Sunak to ‘ignore’ the Supreme Court’s block on the Rwanda migrant deal and ‘just put the planes in the air now’.
The Ashfield MP put pressure on the Prime Minister to send asylum seekers to Africa ‘the same day’ they arrive in Britain despite judges ruling the policy to be unlawful.
Mr Anderson led Tory right-wing fury at the judgment by the UK’s top court after it unanimously rejected a Government appeal.
He described the decision by five justices as a ‘dark day for the British people’ and said ministers should ‘just put the planes in the air now and send them to Rwanda’.
The backlash against the Supreme Court saw similar demands for ‘very tough’ action in response to the ruling by Mr Sunak from other Conservative MPs .
Some backbenchers even claimed the PM’s future in Downing Street could be in jeopardy if he fails to take a hardline stance on illegal migration after the judgment.
One claimed seven letters of no confidence in Mr Sunak’s leadership had now been submitted, in a week when the PM carried out a divisive reshuffle of his Cabinet.
Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson urged Rishi Sunak to ‘ignore’ the Supreme Court’s block on the Rwanda migrant deal and ‘just put the planes in the air now’
The Ashfield MP put pressure on the Prime Minister to send asylum seekers to Africa ‘the same day’ they arrive in Britain despite judges ruling the policy to be unlawful
A group of people thought to be migrants crossing the Channel in a small boat traveling from the coast of France and heading in the direction of Dover, Kent
The Supreme Court this morning ruled there would be a risk of Rwanda returning genuine asylum seekers to face ‘ill treatment’ in the country they had fled.
Judges agreed with the Court of Appeal decision earlier this year that there are ‘substantial’ grounds to believe there is a ‘real risk’ of refugees being sent back to their home countries.
The ruling is a massive blow to Mr Sunak’s hopes of meeting his pledge to ‘stop the boats’ amid the Channel migrant crisis.
It also put the PM under further pressure from the Tory Right in the wake of his sacking of Suella Braverman as Home Secretary.
In response to the Supreme Court ruling, Mr Anderson said: ‘I think the British people have been very patient, I’ve been very patient, and now they’re demanding action.
‘And this has sort of forced our hand a little bit now. My take is we should just put the planes in the air now and send them to Rwanda and show strength.
‘It’s time for the Government to show real leadership and send them back, same day.’
He added: ‘I think we should ignore the laws and send them straight back the same day.’
The New Conservatives group of MPs met in Westminster in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling and put forward a series of options for Mr Sunak to pursue.
This included the introduction of legislation to ‘immediately’ override the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in dealing with Channel migrant boats.
Speaking after a meeting of the group with other Tories who share the same view, New Conservatives co-chair Danny Kruger said the Supreme Court judgment felt ‘absolutely existential’ for the party.
Tory MPs were also said to have discussed the possibility of ‘pushback’ tactics to physically push small boats back into French waters in the Channel.
Asked whether she had confidence in Mr Sunak, fellow New Conservatives co-chair Miriam Cates said: ‘Let’s see what happens.’
‘He has said he will do whatever it takes to stop the boats. The next few days will show whether we’ve got the legislative power and the political will to do that.’
She added: ‘We will support him to do whatever it takes.’
Former Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke told Sky News there was an ‘onus’ on Mr Sunak to ‘respond quickly and decisively’ to the Supreme Court ruling.
On Mr Sunak’s future as PM, he also warned that immigration ‘is a confidence issue in his judgement and leadership of the Conservative Party’.
Former education minister Dame Andrea Jenkyns said, as of last night, six other Tory MPs had pledged to join her in sending letters of no confidence in the PM.
‘I spoke to several colleagues and I know six who have said to me that they’re putting letters in today, so that’s seven we now know about,’ she told GB News.
Tory ex-minister Jonathan Gullis played down the threat to Mr Sunak’s position in No10.
But he warned the PM would have to take ‘very tough and uncomfortable decisions’.
He told the BBC’s Politics Live programme: ‘The Prime Minister I think should remain the Prime Minister and the leader of the Conservative Party to the next election.
‘But the Prime Minister did also say he was going to do everything he needed to do to stop the boats.
‘That means making very tough and uncomfortable decisions.’
Mr Gullis added: ‘In 2016, the largest ever electoral mandate in the history of this country voted for us to take back control of our laws and our borders.
‘We therefore have to deliver.’
The Supreme Court ruling came just a day after Mrs Braverman sent a blistering letter to Mr Sunak in which she poured scorn over the PM’s record in No10.
She accused the ‘unelected’ PM of ‘betrayal’ over a series of broken pledges on migration, the Rwanda deal, Brexit and gender protections.
Mrs Braverman claimed Mr Sunak had failed to prepare a ‘credible Plan B’ should the Government lose the Supreme Court case on the Rwanda plan.
She accused the PM of ignoring her ‘multiple’ pleas to draft alternative measures.
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